Two Queens, One King
by QueenAnne30
Summary: You can't have three people in a marriage, why can't you see that?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** **You can't have three people in a marriage why can't you see that?**

 **So this is the second of the new stories that I will be updating today, I got the idea from reading Regan X's fabulous story, Three People in a Marriage, but this is my own take on the idea of** **Pope Clemet accepting Henry's wish of allowing him to remain married to Katherine, as well as taking a second wife in Anne.**

 **The Story will start in 1527 and is set after episode 1.06. For the purpose of this story Henry Fitzroy is alive and well, and has not died as he did in the story but is well and healthy as he was in history at this present point in time.**

 **For the purpose of this story I have given Anne the 1507 birthdate.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoy the story I have a few chapters already written that I will post in time if the story is well received.**

 **I own nothing, as usual.**

 **Chapter One:**

* * *

 **February 4** **th** **1527**

 _ **Whitehall Palace**_

Henry stared at Wolsey with a look of extreme shock and disbelief, he could not quite believe the words coming from his Lord Chancellor's mouth, " He has agreed to my request? I shall have my annulment?" Henry questioned his tone quiet but hopeful, the Pope it seemed had finally decided to do his duty to answer to God in all matters, rather then the wishes of a powerful earthly Prince.

" Forgive me Your Majesty, the pope has agreed to one of your requests, he had not agreed to the annulment but…"

" You mean to say he has consented to my notion to take another wife?" Henry interrupted, a small amount of his elation disappearing. In all honesty that request had been made almost in jest, it had been written as almost a last resort if all else had failed him and clearly it had. He had never believed the Pope would consent to such a notion, to a prospect that was very much against the beliefs of the Catholic faith, yet he had, for the man was a coward, a coward who bent his knee to the will of the Emperor and his wishes.

" Yes Your Majesty," Wolsey responded his voice calm, but his emotions angry. For the Pope to agree to such a thing was little more than a joke, it was little more than an insult against the sanctity of marriage, and proof enough that the Pope was acting under the guidance of Queen Katherine's nephew. While Wolsey was not overly pleased with Henry's choice of Queen (a French match in Wolsey's opinion would have severed the realm better) and wife, he knew well enough why his King wanted his annulment. He had no male heirs, and England would not survive under a female ruler not matter her parentage and ancestry. The Pope should have understood such a thing, he should have simply granted Henry his annulment and been done with it, instead he had only made things more difficult, how were the people of England suppose to react to such a decree, the country would no doubt divide, the court and commons both. Wolsey could see only one outcome from all of this, in time civil war would no doubt eventuate, and English blood would be spilt all because the Pope was a coward, to busy trying to appease both nations instead of doing what was right. " The Pope has also granted a dispensation allowing you to marry the Lady Anne." Wolsey added as an almost afterthought, trying to put a smile on his face as if this whole turn of events pleased him in some way.

Henry smiled only slightly at Wolsey's words, he could not help but feel slightly disappointed, he truly believed that his cause for an annulment with Katherine was more than just, he believed it to be God's holy will that his union with Katherine be dissolved for he truly believed it to be invalid. Many thought that he only wanted to be rid of Katherine because he had grown tired of her, and wanted to marry Anne, and while it was true that his and Katherine's marriage was not what in once was and that he was deeply in love with Anne, the security of his realm was far more important, then either of those reasons. Katherine could not bear him a son, and England needed a Prince of Wales. The fact that the Pope could not (or could not be allowed to) see as he saw angered him greatly, his decision was not an act of God but one of fear, but Henry knew it would be the only way. He would not get his annulment, and unless he agreed to the Pope's arrangement he would not get Anne either.

Disappointment was of course not his only emotion, he was also pleased, the pope had allowed for him to marry Anne despite his prior relationship with Mary Boleyn, it meant he could marry Anne, the woman he loved without any further problems, he only hoped she would agree, his Anne was a jealous and possessive creature, he did not think she would take kindly to being told she would have to share her husband with another woman. The other positive of the whole situation was of course his daughter. Mary would remain legitimate, he had never truly wanted to see his eldest child labelled as a bastard, and this would mean he was not without an heir, Mary may have been a girl, but she was a girl with impeccable royal blood; She would remain his heir until Anne bore him a son.

" Very well," Henry responded with a nod, in his mind he was thinking of the best way to break the news to Anne, Katherine could not refuse, she would never refuse an order than came from the Pope even one such as this, but Anne, Anne could do as she willed, but he knew he could not think of such things for long, Anne loved him he knew she did, they would be married the rest did not matter, " Did his holiness give any orders on how such a thing should take place."

" No Your Majesty," Wolsey responded his eyes scanning the letter in front of him, to see if there was any more important information that the King need know, " His holiness does however forbid you from crowning or proclaiming the Lady Anne as Queen, he say's that while Katherine lives such a title belongs to her, he says that you may have two wives but only one Queen and he has suggested an alternative title for the Lady Anne."

" Well," Henry said motioning for Wolsey to go on, when he stopped short, his words were ground out between his teeth, he was not at all pleased with the Popes stipulation, it was one thing for the man to have a say in his marital arrangements, but this who was the Pope to tell him what titles he could and could not give to members of his own realm especially one who was to be his, the Kings, own wife.

" His holiness suggests the title of Princess Consort, in some foreign nations, when a woman is in a position of power, a Queen perhaps her husband is titled as the Prince Consort of the realm, the Pope thinks it to be a just and fitting title for your Majesty's second wife." Wolsey chose his words carefully, he knew as well as anyone that one misplaced word could send the King into a fit of anger and have him refusing the Pope's arrangement, despite Wolsey's fear and misgivings about the Pope's decrees he knew it to still be the best of all the other options placed before them, if Henry refused this, it could see England excommunicated from Rome, and Wolsey knew that that more than anything would set the people of England on edge.

" Princess Consort," Henry responded rolling the title on his lips, when he had first thought of marriage to Anne he had imagined her as his Queen, not just his wife but his Queen, he had promised her the crown, yet now he could give her only a title and the role of a joint wife, it was not ideal, but Henry knew it would be better than the alternative, besides Anne would be the Queen in his eyes, not Katherine, it would be Anne he would show favour to, and Anne whose bed he shared, Anne who would bear him sons, a Prince of Wales to take his place when the time came, " I will not have her being second to Katherine."

" Of Course not Your Majesty," Wolsey responded quickly not wishing to bring the king to any level of anger or displeasure, " We will have parliament draw up a list of formalities and protocols regarding the Lady Anne and how she is to be treated once she is your majesty's wife immediately."

" Very well Wolsey, I do not want a word of this to leave these walls until both ladies are told do you understand?"

" Of Course Your Majesty."

* * *

 _Boleyn Family rooms_

Anne had taken great pains in deciding what to wear for her audience with the King. She knew well enough that this meeting with Henry, perhaps more than any other was vitally important for her future. They were, the both of them, waiting from word from the Pope in regards to the annulment, today could be the day she was told she was to be the future Queen of England, she had therefore wanted to look the part. It was a dress she had worn a few times before, it was not an extravagant dress in any way, yet she knew that she deep purple colour to the gown, as well as the bell sleeves and golden embroidery around the waist, gave her a certain grace and charm, she almost looked like royalty, just as she should.

A small part of her worried of course, she knew as well as anyone that the Pope was more than partly under the control of the Emperor, Katherine's nephew, such a thing did not bode well for her or Henry yet still Anne held out hope that God's will in the end would prevail. She did not hate Katherine, when Anne had first entered the Queen's service when Henry's eyes were still focused on her sister, Anne had felt sorry for the woman and for all she had endured, to lose so many children, oh Anne did not even want to think of such a possibility, yet despite her sympathies for Katherine Anne had never exactly idolised her as so many other in her household had. She was too stubborn and to prideful, and those traits had only become more apparent to Anne when it was she who was receiving the king's attentions.

Henry had all but stopped visiting Katherine's bed long before Anne had come into the picture, and the woman was barren it was no secret to anyone English or foreign that Katherine could no longer produce living children. So Anne could not really understand why it was she who was receiving all the blame in this whole situation. She knew she was called a whore throughout the realm, yet she was yet to take the king to her bed, and if she took Katherine's throne they would call her a usurper, yet without her the hope of England would lie forever in a female heir, when everyone knew it was a son that England needed to rule. She would be twenty soon, well in her childbearing prime, she could give Henry the son he so desired she could give England a golden world, if only the people around them would let them be.

" Anne," As it always did of late, the sound of the King's voice put a smile on her face, and immediately upon seeing him she dropped into a respectful curtsey, which Henry soon lifted her from, placing a large and passionate kiss upon her lips.

When he had first begun courting her such kisses had not left her with such emotions she had always determined to be cold with him, cold and distant, a part of her had hoped that such an attitude would have sent him away, she knew how he liked his whores, her sister had been one of them, yet she had always been strong in her belief that she would not be like one of the many that had warmed her bed, and she hadn't been, but it turned out that was what he had wanted more than anything, something different. It had not taken her long to fall in love with him, as all the others before her had surely done, she did not exactly know why or when it had happened she only knew that it had, one day she did not love him, the next day she did. Not that she ever shared such things, with her father or her uncle, they would have teased and tormented her with such news, they would have simply called her a silly little girl, and told her not to let her heart rule her. They did not need another girl in love with the King, they needed a girl to play with him, to rule his heart, like no other had before, and she had accomplished that, he loved her, he was not simply in lust with her or in love with the idea of her, he actually loved her for who she was, and she now loved him just a fiercely. When once kisses with the King left her with feelings of emptiness they now left her breathless and wanting more.

" Henry," Anne said, locking eyes with the King, she was disappointed to find that she could not read his expression, usually she could tell what he was feeling with just a look, but now she saw nothing but confusion.

" Sweetheart," Henry responded softly, moving a stray strand of hair from Anne's face, " Come let us sit."

Immediately Anne pulled herself away from his touch, and stood tall and proud, she did not wish to be treated like a child, if something were wrong she deserved to know the full of it, it did after all concern her very future, " What is it?" She questioned already fearing the worst, it had always been a distant hope, the idea of an annulment, no doubt the pope had refused Henry's request and once again she would remain, Anne Boleyn the Kings beloved whore, " What is wrong?"

" Sweetheart, please sit down," Henry said again, repeating his earlier request with a calm voice, he had already gone over what he wanted to say to her at least a hundred times in his head, he had not been expecting for her to get herself in such a state before he had even said anything.

With a sigh Anne eventually complied with his request taking a seat across from the King, but refusing to take his hand into her own.

" Well," Anne said, wanting very much for him to get it over with, so that she could begin to process whatever it was that he had come to tell her.

" I have received a letter from the Pope," Henry began, trying to remember all the words he had so carefully practiced, " He has given us permission to marry, however he has refused to allow my request for an annulment."

Anne looked at Henry with confusion set in her eyes, she did not understand what he was saying, or at least she did not think that what he was telling her was possible, how could the Pope allow for them to marry, yet not grant Henry an annulment from Katherine, it did not make sense not unless…but no, the Pope would never consent to such a thing, it would be to absurd a notion…unless….

" I'm afraid I do not quite understand," Anne said slowly, refusing to meet Henry's eyes, she was afraid that he would confirm her thoughts, that he would tell her that what she believed to be impossible was somehow true.

" The Pope has allowed for me to take you as my second wife."

" Second wife?" Anne repeated, finally looking up and meeting Henry's look, and immediately Henry wished that she hadn't, she looked so hurt and confused, and Henry wished he could hurt all those that had put such a look on his beloved's face, If Katherine had simply stepped aside, if the Emperor had not intervened, if the Pope had not been such a coward, he would, they would have never been put in such a situation, god-willing they would already have been married and perhaps expecting their first son, instead they were put in such a confusing situation, a situation he knew would affect Anne more so than it ever did him.

" Yes, but Anne I promise you, you would be the only one in my heart, Katherine would be there for ceremony only, you would be my true wife, my one true wife, and our children our children would sit upon the throne."

 _I would be nothing more than his official concubine,_ Anne thought, _my only role would be to bear children, I would have no other respect._

" So England would have two Queens?" Anne questioned, although she feared that she already knew which answer he would give her.

Boldly Henry took Anne's hands into his own, fighting to keep them in his grasp as she attempted to pull away, slowly he began to rub soothing circles into her hands, he just hoped she didn't react to angrily to his words, as he had done when he had been informed.

" No," He responded quietly, refusing to look into Anne's eyes as he spoke, if he did he might just have refused this whole notion, and he knew within his heart that that wasn't a possibility he could allow to happen, " The Pope would not allow for it, Katherine will remain as Queen and you will be known as…."

" Your mistress," Anne interrupted angrily snatching her hands away from his, " I would be your mistress, a whore in everything but name, and that's what people would say."

 _And I would cut of their heads if they did,_ " No Anne, Sweetheart no," Henry tried calmly, in his heart he wished she could just be happy with marriage, and he knew if they were any other couple she would be, but they were not, she would take the blunt of peoples anger, it was she who would not be given the correct title as his wife, it was she who would always be seen as lesser not in his mind but in some others he knew, " The pope has allowed for you to be labelled as the Princess Consort of England, you will be granted all the same respects as if you were Queen, it is just the title that is different Anne, I promise you."

For a moment Anne did not know what to say. There would be no annulment that she knew, and if she refused him, oh she knew he would not stay with her long. There would be whispers that she was only ever after the crown, and soon enough a pretty new thing would be warming his bed, he had been given permission to take a second wife, and while he wanted her his desire for an heir was stronger, if she refused him he would look elsewhere. Marriage to Henry was what she wanted, the crown no longer held the lure and charm that it once did, however, she had wanted to be his wife, his one true wife, to share him was not something she had ever considered, it was not something she had even thought a possibility. The title she was being offered was more than she could have ever hoped for, to be the King's wife, accepted by the Pope and the Emperor and all the other catholic nations (for that is what the Pope's blessing would do), was what she had always wanted, her children would not be illegitimate, that was all that truly mattered, she had dealt with Katherine for years, once she bore Henry a son, she knew it would be as if there was only one Queen, no matter who held the title.

" Ok," Anne said slowly, looking up at Henry with tears in her eyes, there was no other way, she had no other option. Her son would be the King of England and she would be the King's wife, nothing else mattered.

* * *

 _ **Queen of England's Rooms**_

It was late when he came to her rooms, yet still she had not been asleep or even close to, when one of her ladies had announced that the King had come to see her. Years ago, an unexpected visit from her husband had thrilled her, but now she knew to expect nothing of such visits, it had been years since he had shared her bed properly, oh a few times here and there he had slept beside her, but nothing more ever came from such visits, now he did not even do her that curtsey, she knew why he had come, and a part of her wanted to get on bended knee and ask for him to reconsider his foolishness.

The court was alight with gossip, as it always was, and if not for Sir Thomas telling her the truth of it, she never would have believed such rumours. She was to remain Queen, the Pope had declared her marriage to Henry to be just and true in the eyes of the God, he had done that to appease her nephew she knew, to appease her husband he had allowed Henry to take a second wife; a woman who could bear him a son.

A part of her, a very small part, understood the Pope's decision, the idea of bigamy disgusted her (as she knew it did many others), yet she knew the reason for it. Pope Clement no doubt knew that Henry, without a male heir to his name, would not be willing to relent in his pursuit of an annulment, while on the other side her nephew would never have allowed for the Pope to have her cast aside and her daughter labelled a bastard, in a way Clement had achieved a peaceful result for all parties involved, but that did not mean Katherine had to in anyway like or agree to what had been decided. She did not understand why Mary was not good enough for her husband; her own mother had ruled as a monarch, with a strong husband there was no reason as to why her daughter could not do the same. She was bright and able, Mary was a daughter of Kings, the children of Anne Boleyn would not have even close to the same linage as her daughter, yet it would be as if they were equals, if Henry had to do this, if he really needed a son so badly, Katherine could still not understand why he had to choose _her_ , it was an insult to Katherine in every way, what was worse her husband believed Anne to be a pure a virtuous as the virgin Mary, yet he thought Katherine his wife for over two decades now, as a liar and a whore, the thought almost made her want to laugh, and if Henry had not been suddenly standing two feet in front of her she might just have.

" Husband," Katherine said, nodding her head slightly at his presence; she would not bow to him, she was his wife and Queen, an Infata of Spain a daughters of two monarchs, and the mother of his only legitimate child, she would not yield to him, the man that was to humiliate her, the man who would of discarded her if not for the Pope's (and her nephew's) intervention.

" Katherine," He responded with a nod of his own, his voice cold and dethatched. Katherine had no doubts that he had come from that woman's rooms, no doubt he had wanted to inform his beloved first, she would have been nothing but an afterthought, as if the decision had not affected her also. She could not help but wonder how Anne would have reacted to the news; Katherine could not help but wonder if she cried of happiness or sadness, she would be marrying the King, yet she would get no crown. " The Pope has found a solution to our problem, he…"

" Spare me Henry, I already know of what has occurred," Katherine interrupted, she felt no need in having him tell her all that she already knew, it was not as if she had a choice in the matter, Henry would marry his whore, he would have two wives, and she would remain Queen, as much as she did not like the situation she had been cast into, she knew it was not her place to disagree with the verdict of his holiness, who was after all God's representative on earth.

Henry did not bother asking why or even how she knew, it was no secret that court gossip spread like wildfire, a servant would let something slip and within hours the whole court would know of it, Yet still he wanted to make sure that Katherine knew exactly how the arrangement between the three of them was going to work, he did not want there to be any doubts in her mind, or anyone else's on how they should treat Anne.

" I am to marry the Lady Anne within the next month, I want you to know that she will be treated as if she were the Queen of England…"

" But she will not be?" Katherine questioned, wanting to make sure that that title alone remained hers, and "She will not be the Queen?"

It took Henry much effort to not lash out at her, it took every bit of strength he had for him to not yell or scream at her, instead he schooled his features into a hard and cold glare, and spoke in an icy tone, " No, she will be the Princess Consort of England, and the mother of the future King, as such…."

" You hope," Katherine interrupted again unable to help herself. She knew that Henry blamed her for their lack of a living son, as if it were her fault that her boys had all died before their time, she had prayed, she had begged, she had fasted, she had spent days sitting on her knees, all of it in hope of a son, seven pregnancies she had endured and yet they only had Mary, and Katherine knew that Henry blamed her entirely for such a thing. It had not always been that way, once he had grieved with her, once he had felt just as guilty and as hopeless as she, she knew he had but all of that changed once Bessie Blount bore him her bastard. Henry Fitzroy's birth and continual survival had changed everything, the boy was proof (to her husband at least), that he was not incapable of having healthy children, that it was not his fault the Royal nursery remained heirless. Henry Fitzroy had given him reason to doubt their marriage, and Anne Boleyn had been in the right place at the right time. " You _**hope**_ that she will bear you a son, tell me husband if she does not will you take a third wife, or a fourth, perhaps even a fifth, maybe a sixth will finally give you what you so desire."

" That is enough," He did not raise his voice yet his tone was enough to make her shudder, " The Lady Anne and I are both young, we will have a son, and he will take the throne after me."

" And what a lineage that child will have, to be the grandson of a knight, my daughter is the grandchild of kings, she has more Royal blood then even you…"

" Silence," Henry screamed, his rage at Katherine and the emperor and the Pope and everyone else that had ever stood in the way of his annulment, finally reaching boiling point. More than anything else, he could not have Katherine being disrespectful to Anne, or her blood, and most importantly any children that came from their union. He did not expect either of the women to get along but he did expect for them to be civil with one another and even to respect each other (in time) he would not have the situation they had found themselves in escalating into an eventual civil war. " I am to marry Anne Boleyn, God willing she will give me sons, and you will accept it. We both know that I do not believe that our marriage is true in the eyes of God or man, yet due to your nephew I am bound to stay your husband but I will let you know that as far as I am concerned, Anne is my only true wife. I will be your husband only by obligation, and you will be my wife in name only, I will not visit your bed and nor will we have any other children, you will treat the future Princess Consort with every respect for she is to be your equal in every single way, you will not disrespect her or my future children in anyway, if you disobey any of these requests I will not hesitate to take your daughter from you until you oblige, do you understand Madam?"

" Henry please, " Katherine whispered, her strength leaving her in response to his cruel words, " do not do this."

" I asked you if you understood," Henry replied, as if she had never spoken.

With a deep breath Katherine nodded her head, tears shone brightly in her eyes yet she refused to let them fall. She knew she had no choice in the matter, it was a better outcome than she had truly thought possible, Henry had the blessing of the Pope there was nothing she could do but nod, nod and smile and pretend all was well.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review and let me know what you think, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing your responses.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here is chapter two of Two Queens, One King. I do so hope that you all enjoy it, as I enjoyed writing the chapter and thought it turned out quite well.**

 **This chapter has many important moments and was longer than I had originally envisioned mostly because I decided to add Henry and Anne's wedding to this chapter rather than postponing it to the next chapter.**

 **I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the first chapter and encouraged me to continue with this (and my other stories) I would also like to think everyone that favourited or put myself or the story on their alert list. It really does mean a lot.**

 **Anyway on with the chapter, as usual I own nothing. Please Enjoy and review.**

 **Chapter two:**

* * *

 **24th of February 1527**

 _ **Whitehall Palace**_

There were not many moments in her life that Anne could ever remember feeling quite as nervous as she did now. She had always prided herself on being calm and composed, on presenting herself with an air of grace and charm, yet now when such things were needed most she could barley keep herself standing upright.

Henry had deemed it necessary that _she_ be given a title; he did not want his future wife to be labelled a commoner, not by anyone. Anne personally did not see the point in such a thing, already Henry had given her father two titles, along with the Earldom of Ormond (a title her father had been after for years) Henry had also granted his future father-in-law with the Earldom of Wiltshire (George was now therefore Lord Rochford), Henry had joked that perhaps once Anne had gifted him with a son, that Thomas Boleyn too would benefit. Her father's elevation's meant that she was no longer a commoner in any regard, and besides she was a Howard on her mother's side, the niece of the Duke of Norfolk, she was not common she never truly had been, yet still Henry was adamant that she must have a title of her own, a title worthy of her future position.

A part of Anne wished that he had not gone to such efforts, once they were married she would have a title, to do this now seemed to Anne to be a way of simply quieting those who spoke against her, and Anne knew it would do little, if the people of England and Henry's court wanted to hate her they would continue to do so title or not. She was of course honoured and grateful to Henry as well, she was the first woman in England to be given a title in her own right, something she could hold onto and pass down without it being the property of another, it was an honour and a curse all at the same time.

She had also found it difficult to construct an appropriate outfit for her ennoblement given the time restraints, she was already having enough trouble having her wedding dress made in time with Henry insisting that they be married as soon as possible Anne was starting to worry that she would have half a garment when the day of her wedding did come.

For the ceremony of her ennoblement, she had elected not to wear purple, a part of her had wanted to, to deem herself royalty in front of the whole court, yet the more reasonable side of her won out, once she and Henry were married she could dress from head to toe in Purple, now was not the time for such displays. In the end she had chosen a gown of deep red, she knew well enough that Henry appreciated her in the colour, and it suited her well, the dress was adorned with golden embroidery, and it fit her wonderfully, with a square neckline and tight fit sleeves. Her hair she wore in a delicate bun, without a headpiece, her necklace and earrings where the exact shade of her dress. Anne knew she looked beautiful, what was more she knew she looked like royalty, yet still she could not calm her nerves, and she did not know why.

Perhaps she was so nervous because of how important a day in her life this would prove to be, this was the first step to her becoming the wife of the King of England, the second wife of Henry Tudor, and she knew that was the real problem. Since she was a young girl she had envisioned her wedding day, she had pictured her husband and her future children, and while marrying the King of England had never truly been one of her fantasies, in all of her dreams having to share her husband, to be one of two wives had never once crossed her mind, it had never even been a possibility to her, even when discussions about the annulment had been taking place, Anne had never thought that this would be the outcome, not once. She had agreed to it, that was true she had consented to being the King's second wife, the Princess Consort of England, she had done so because she loved Henry and because she had known within herself that there was truly no other way, her only other option would have been to lose the King, she had had no choice, and still she could not make herself comfortable with the idea of being one of two.

" Make way for the Lady Anne, Make way," As the herald announced her presence to all the courtiers present in the great chamber of Hampton Court, Anne begin to make her entrance, and as gracefully as any Queen or Princess, she made her way to the dais where her betrothed was seated, her father and brother standing to the left of the King. They were all of them, the three most important men in her life, and they all looked extremely proud to see her raised so. In an hour or so, she would no longer be known as simply the Lady Anne, now she would be known to all as the Marques of Pembroke, the King of England's future bride.

Henry watched in awe as Anne made her way towards him, kneeling gracefully at his feet, with her eyes modestly cast down when she reached the foot of the dais. He did not think he had ever seen a more beautiful sight, he also did not believe that Anne herself had ever looked quite so lovely. Slowly Henry nodded his head, and Master Cromwell came forward, with Anne's patent of nobility in his hands.

"To all and singular, as well nobles and gentiles as others to whom these presents shall come, it is the King's pleasure, by this patent, to confer on the Lady Anne Boleyn, in her own right, and on her offspring, the noble title of Marquess of Pembroke." Cromwell's voice rang loud and clear throughout the room, not a single person present would be able to say that they did not hear how far the Lady Anne had risen, "And also by this patent, to grant her lands worth 100,000 pounds a year, for the maintaining of her dignity."

It had been somewhat difficult for Henry to decide upon a suitable title for Anne. At first he had wanted to create her a duchess, he had wanted to give her more than one title, he had wanted to give her everything, yet his councillors had advised him against it, and in the end he had been inclined to agree with them. To give Anne the title of a Marquess (especially of Pembroke), was more than any woman in England had ever before been given in their own right? It was a rank high enough to earn her a place in the nobility, in her own right, and also to announce to all of the realm that it was she who was to be his new bride. Charles and Wolsey had even pointed out that in giving her any higher titles, it would perhaps give the wrong impression, as if he was saying that she needed such things to be his wife, that without them she was not good enough, and Henry would not allow for that to be said, not of his Anne. While the title of a Marquess was not nearly quite so grand as he had originally planned, he knew that Anne would be more than grateful for it and besides, she would be a Princess soon, the title was more than anything for their future children, their first and second born sons, would of course be the Prince and Wales and the Duke of York respectively but their younger children, perhaps their youngest would be able to inherit Anne's title and pass it on to their future generations.

Standing from his chair, Henry stood in front of Anne, giving her a small smile as he did so, he could tell she was nervous although he could not see why, this was a day of celebration for them both. With another nod of his head, Henry signalled for one of his pages to bring fourth the ceremonial cornet that all wore when they were given titles, as Henry placed it on Anne's dark locks he could not help but think that she looked a Queen, Anne was made to wear a crown atop her head, after that he placed the traditional fur cloak around her shoulders, for a moment he forgot about protocol and placed a gentle kiss upon Anne's skin, he did not care if it made others talk let them talk, he was the King, he could do as he willed. With another nod of his head Cromwell passed Henry Anne's patent.

" The Patent of your nobility," Henry said softly, handing the rolled parchment to Anne.

" Thank You, Your majesty," Anne said softly, her eyes never leaving his, slowly her stomach began to settle when she saw the look of love emitting from his eyes.

Slowly Henry placed a kiss upon her hand, before taking her hand in his and leading her from the throne room. All the while the herald proclaimed, " His Majesty the King, and the Lady Anne Boleyn, the Marquess of Pembroke.

After them the court followed in order of precedence and both Anne and Henry were glad that neither the Queen nor the Princess were present, for a moment it was just the two of them, for a moment Anne felt as if she were the only one in both Henry's heart and his mind.

* * *

 _ **The Queen of England's Apartments**_

" So he has made her a Marquess?" Katherine questioned, the man in front of her, in her anger and disbelief her Spanish accent had become prominent. It did not become her, she knew to get so emotional, after her last (proper) encounter with her husband, where she had called into question his whores blood, she had had no doubt that he would find a title for her, or at the very least for her father, in the end he had done both.

" Yes, Your Majesty," Thomas More, said his voice clearly showing his disapproval with the turn of events that had been occurring throughout the English court.

" I had expected a grander title," Katherine said, with a slight smile. While it was true that Anne was the first woman in English history to hold a title of her own, it was still only a title of a Marquess for another month at least, Katherine would still be above the woman, for another month at least she was Henry's only wife. '

" Henry had wanted to it is true," Thomas responded choosing his words carefully, while he knew Queen Katherine would never speak against him, he also knew that there was others who would, even he had enemies, " Thankfully he was able to be convinced otherwise, of that at least."

" There was things he could not be convinced on I take it then?"

" Yes well, he still granted the Marquess an exuberant amount of money, a hundred thousand pounds per anum to be exact," Katherine could not help but gasp at More's words, to give anyone let alone a woman that amount of money was unheard of, Katherine was the Queen of England, she had been for over a decade, and yet she had never been given an allowance quite so large, yet still she said nothing, she knew there was no point in arguing, she had already lost, " We also tried to convince his Grace to allow the Marquess to be addressed as Your Highness, rather than Your Majesty once they are married, but…."

" He refused quite adamantly, I presume?" Katherine said, laughing slightly. Henry had made it perfectly clear that despite her title as Queen, Anne would be treated as her equal (if not her better), even if she didn't have the title, she would be treated as a Queen, Katherine was not surprised at all to learn that her husband wanted her addressed as one, after all he could not have his wife being addressed the same as his daughter and sister, now could he.

" Quite," Thomas responded with his own small smile, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. Like any other good catholic he found the idea of bighemy to be downright disgusting and disrespectful, it made a laughing stock out of the sanctity of marriage it was therefore fair for one to assume, that this whole situation quite unnerved him. The King's council were divided upon the whole solution, half of them, like Wolsey saw the Pope's decree as the only option to secure the King's happiness and perhaps even the realm, More, along with the other half, the most staunch of the Catholics, believed it to be a sin even with the Pope's blessing, yet none of them would speak a word against it, for they knew it would do them no good. The Pope had given his blessing; there was nothing that could be done to sway Henry now.

" I suppose he thinks she will give him a whole horde of children then?" The Queen's voice broke him from his thoughts, and as he looked at her he was struck by her sadness, oh to be put in such a position must have surely been hell on earth for the woman, Thomas personally could not imagine the turmoil the Queen must have been enduring. " I mean if he is already planning on passing her title off."

" I do not doubt that he believes that she will, she is only twenty after all."

" And I was only twenty four when I married him. I do not think age will determine her fate, sir Thomas, God can grant children, and he can just as easily take them away." Katherine stated knowing the truth of her words all too well, she herself had been pregnant seven times, yet she had only one living daughter, if Anne did not deliver on her promise of a son, Katherine could only imagine what that would mean for Henry and for England, she did not think for a second that her husband would give Anne the same amount of chances she had been given to produce an heir.

" In the end, I suppose we must all just wait and see."

" Yes, Sir Thomas that is all we can do."

* * *

 **28th of February 1527**

 _ **Whitehall Palace**_

It almost felt like an age since she had last been to court, yet she felt now after waiting so long she felt no feelings of relief to be back. While it was true that she had missed her parents greatly (her mother in particular) it was also true that her arrival at court left her with nothing more than a feeling of unease. She of course knew the reason she was there, she was the Princess of England, the only heir to the throne, and at the age of eleven (just recently turned) she knew well enough how to get information from those around her. Her father, the King, was to take a second wife, and Mary was now expected to bend her knees and accept this new marriage with a smile, simply because the Pope had decreed it legal and just, yet still Mary was having a hard time with what was about to occur.

The moment she had walked into Whitehall, she had immediately been taken to her father's council rooms. She had not even been given the chance to be changed from her travelling clothes or even to see her mother. When she walked through the door she was not in anyway surprised to see who was waiting for her.

Her father was of course there, looking as Handsome and kingly as he always did, but the woman standing beside him, in a place reserved for his wife and Queen was not her mother, it was that woman that whore, Anne Boleyn. Mary had of course seen the woman before, Anne had been a member of her mother's household for some years now, and like her sister before her she had caught the eye of Mary's father. Mary would not deny that the woman was beautiful, not in the traditional English sense of course, but still she was a sight to behold, even more so in her dress of purple and gold thread (which of course made Mary think poorly of her own choice of outfit, which was plain and muted in contrast), they looked a royal couple, yet they weren't one, not yet anyway.

" Father," Mary said curtsying gracefully with a lowered gaze, gone were the days where she would run into her father's arms with a gleeful 'Papa', that kind of affection had much disappeared since her father's eyes had wandered onto Anne Boleyn.

" Mary," Henry said with a smile, allowing his daughter to rise so that he may look at her. She was still short for her age, yet still there was no denying that his daughter was growing into a beauty, she looked more like Katherine, Henry had always thought she had, yet there was enough of him in her that she looked a Tudor too, " Will you not say hello to the Marquess?"

It took a lot of strength for Mary to be able to face that woman, and give a small curtsey with a muttered, " Madam," yet if Anne was displeased by her future stepdaughter's reception of her it did not show.

" Princess Mary," Anne responded with one of her most flattering smiles, before dipping her knee's slightly, both Mary and Anne knew that had she not been the betrothed of the King much more respect would have been expected of her towards the heir to the throne, yet no one said a word, very soon Anne would be the wife of the King, and she would not have to bend a knee to anyone, " I hope your journey to court was pleasant."

" It was thank you," Mary responded curtly, her tone cold, especially for someone so young.

" Mary," Henry said, drawing his daughter's (slightly scowling) face back onto him, " I am sure you know well enough why you have been brought to court."

" It is true that some things, rumours if you will have come to my attention, yet I was not sure of the truth of them." Mary responded, and all within the room were shocked at how old she sounded, her words were far beyond the capabilities of any normal eleven year old, yet she had spoke calmly and with grace, Henry could not help but think that his eldest was a true Princess in every way, and once again he was glad that the arrangement they had found themselves in had allowed her to remain legitimate, even if she was not in his own opinion. With her blood and intelligence Mary would grow into a powerful asset for their family, perhaps one day she would even be a Queen, as Katherine so often wished.

" What you have been told is true Mary, The Marquess and I are to be married, the pope has allowed for me to take her as my second wife in the hope that God will grant England a Prince, we have had you bought to Court to be able to celebrate our joyous news."

With a deep breath Mary held back the emotions that were cursing through her body. While she had known that this was what was going to occur, it was still a shock for her to hear the confirmation from her father's lips, she had questions still, but she knew that her mother would be the only one who would answer such inquiries with truth.

" I offer you both my warmest congratulations," Mary responded evenly, her eyes not meeting either her father's or his mistresses, she feared that if she looked at either of them that her courage would falter, and that she would tell her true feelings of all that had transpired over the past years, and Mary knew without a doubt that such comments would not bode well for either herself or her mother, " And I will pray for God to grant us a Prince by the new year." Out of the corner of her eye Mary could see Anne flinch slightly at the last of her words, for her whole life she had been told to pray to God to grant her a brother, when such prayers went unanswered her mother was cast aside, Mary only hoped that if the Marquess did not bear her father a son, that her downfall would be something splendid.

"Mary," Her father responded nodding slightly in her direction, with a small smile planted upon his face. Immediately Mary understood that she was being dismissed, it hurt her slightly that he did not make any effort to give her an affectionate farewell, in the past he always sent her off with a kiss, but now she supposed that had all changed.

" Father," Mary said with her own smile and nod of her head, before dropping into a curtsey and leaving her father and future stepmother behind.

As soon as the princess had left the room, Anne let out a small sigh of relief, of all the meetings that she knew she would have to take part in and attend, that had been the one she had most dreaded. It was no secret that the Princess was her mother's daughter through and through, and therefore Anne knew without any doubts that Mary would hate her just for the fact that she was who she was, yet Anne also knew that Henry loved and doted on his daughter, and so for Anne's sake at least it was imperative that her interactions with Mary be at least civil, it would not do well for her to make an enemy of the King's eldest child.

" Sweetheart," Henry said softly, taking Anne's smaller hand into his own, " There is someone else I would like for you to meet."

Anne looked at Henry with some shock he had not told her of any other audiences and she could not quite think of anyone else that it would be necessary for her to meet before their marriage took place, her answers however were immediately answered when Henry gave a wave towards the door, and through it came the little Duke of Richmond and his governess, Lady Bryan, a woman of Anne's own kin.

The boy was a sweet thing to look at, with a pale complexion, and blonde hair, it was clear that he favoured his mother, however Anne could see Henry in many of the boys features. Anne had of course seen the Duke before, yet they had never been formally introduced. Young Henry would be eight that year, and Anne knew that for Henry his illegitimate son was proof enough that he was more than capable of producing a healthy son, it was also therefore a message Anne knew, if she did not bear a son as Bessie Blount had then the blame would lie entirely upon her shoulders.

" This is my son, The Duke of Richmond and Somerset," Henry's voice was proud and his eyes shone brightly as he looked upon his son, illegitimate though he may be, he was in many ways Henry's pride and joy, " Come forward child."

With nervous steps the little boy came closer to his father and Anne, Anne could just tell that the boy was hesitant with new surroundings, and she knew well enough that he had never been treated warmly by Katherine, perhaps he was afraid that Anne to would treat him with cold indifference.

" Hal, this is to be my new wife, your new stepmother, Anne, say hello to her."

" Hello my lady," Hal said softly, with a slight bow of his head. Anne could not help but laugh; he was indeed a precious child.

" Oh he's such a sweet boy," Anne exclaimed with a large smile, before bending down to eye level with the child. She did not in any way want to give of any impression that she was not interested in the boy, illegitimate or not he was the King's only son, Anne knew it would be imperative that she have good relations with the boy, " Hello Your Grace, I am so delighted to meet you."

" Thank you," The boy replied shyly, his blue orbs slightly downcast.

Within moments Henry had the boy in his arms, swinging him around jovially, before carefully placing him upon the ground.

" Now go on and be a good boy do you here?"

" Thank you sir, Good day Madam." Anne could not help but smile again at the little boy when he departed the room; she just hoped that one-day here own children were as well mannered and sweet. She knew well enough that she needed a son, a son within the first year of her marriage, a little dark haired beauty, a future King of England.

* * *

 _ **The Queen of England's apartments**_

It took every ounce of patience Katherine possessed to wait for her daughter in silence. She had been told immediately when Mary had arrived, yet her daughter had not been bought straight to her, and the thought of why that was had her on edge.

When Mary usually arrived at court, she would be given the opportunity to change out of her travelling clothes, and then she would be presented to her parents, as of late it had become custom for Mary to visit her parents secretly, with Katherine usually being the first to have their daughter's company, yet she had been left waiting at least two hours since her daughter's arrival, and she could not help but wonder at what that could mean.

Katherine had also been made aware that her husbands bastard was also presently at court, at times Katherine could not help but think that the child was only bought to court in order to remind the whole of England that her husband had a son, a fete his wife and Queen had been unable to achieve. It was no coincidence, Katherine knew, that the King's children had been summoned to court, just weeks before Henry's wedding to Anne, no doubt he wanted to present the idea of a loving and united family, as well as (no doubt) trying to soften his children to Anne, Katherine just knew that Mary would not be so easy to sway.

Her daughter arrived in Katherine's rooms with her governess in tow, Katherine was surprised by her appearance, it had been many months since she had seen her daughter, and she looked as if she had aged extraordinarily. She had been changed out of her riding clothes, and into a splendid gown of purple with golden thread, her dark locks she wore down and upon her face she wore a serious expression. Her daughter was beautiful, but Katherine immediately knew that not all was well with the young princess.

Mary made no attempt to run into her mothers arms, usually in the privacy of their own rooms such royal protocols were forgotten, yet when her daughter was bought before her, she neither squealed in delight nor even smiled, instead she dropped into a respectful curtsey, the words "my lady, mother," falling softly from her lips as she did so.

"Mary, darling," Katherine said dropping to her daughters level and outstretching her arms. Immediately her daughters expression softened, and after some hesitation she run into her mothers arms, and it was then that Katherine realised the reason behind her daughters strange behaviour, she had thought that was how Katherine had wanted her to be, and she had been afraid to act in any other way, even in such things had once been normal occurrences, no doubt there new situation had caused the change, and Katherine found herself once again cursing Anne Boleyn, and Henry too for allowing all of this to occur.

" Why is he doing it Mama?" Mary questioned, her voice soft and full of anguish. Katherine had never heard her daughter sound so upset and yet sound angry at the same time.

" Because he must." Katherine responded pulling Mary into her line of sight as she did so. She detested what her husband had done, but she would not allow her daughter to be swayed by her grievances, she would not risk Mary's happiness nor her place in Henry's affections.

" No, that is not true I do not believe…"

" Mary," Katherine interrupted her tone sharp, " That is quite enough. Your father is not a simple common man, he is the King, and a King needs an heir."

" He has me." Mary cut in her eyes filled with tears, and the sight broke Katherine's heart. She had once promised her daughter the title of Queen, she had thought that in time Henry would see that Mary could rule just as well as any man, but he had not. This was not Castile, and Mary was not her mother. England needed a male heir.

" Yes," Katherine responded choosing her words carefully, she did not wish to upset her daughter, not any more than was necessary, " He does, but he needs a son to rule after him, and I cannot give him one, it does not mean he loves you any less Mary."

Katherine could all but see her words repeating themselves over and over in her daughters head, once she had promised Mary she would be a Queen, She had promised her daughter the throne of England, that she was and would remain to be her father's heir, yet now Katherine knew she must break all such thoughts from her daughters head. Mary would hate Anne, that much Katherine knew for a certainty, but if the girl gave the King a son it would not bode well for Katherine's daughter to be that child's enemy. England was lost to Mary now, but that did not mean that all was lost. Her daughter could still be a Queen, as Katherine was a Queen, but she could not be a monarch and Katherine could not fight for her to be. Not anymore. Not if she wanted the both of them to keep their heads.

The pope was a coward to act as he had, yet in acting in his way, he had left all parties satisfied in their own unique ways. She was allowed to remain Queen, her daughter a Princess and their rights maintained, Anne Boleyn would marry the King, and if she bore a son he would be King, and Henry, Henry got to marry his love, have a chance at another heir, and keep peace with the Pope and the Emperor and the people of England all at one. All of them had got what they had sought to achieve, yet none of them it seemed had truly got what they wanted.

" He will love me less when she has a son." Mary spat out, her mother's words obviously not soothing her in anyway. Mary knew that she had no say in such matters, her father was a King, and the Pope God's voice on earth, they had both spoken it was her duty to obey, yet that did not mean she had to enjoy doing so. She would never love Anne Boleyn or her brats.

" Mary, that is not true." Katherine said softly, reaching out to touch her daughter, but Mary only moved away.

" It is true, he no longer loves you and soon he will no longer love me, and it is all her fault. She will never be a Queen not a true Queen, not like you."

Her daughter it seemed had grown older and more bold than her years, and Katherine knew that such words were dangerous, even in the privacy of her own rooms there were spies. In these circumstances they could trust no one.

" Mary I will not have you speaking of such things," Katherine chided gently, her daughter had inherited a great many things from her parents being stubborn and quick to temper where just two of them, " And in any case the Lady Anne, will not be a Queen, she will be your fathers second wife and known to all as the Princess Consort. "

Her words seemed to soften her daughter's features somewhat, yet still Katherine could all but see her daughter's mind working overboard. " The princess consort?" Mary questioned a small smile gracing her lips as she rolled the title around on her tongue, " So she will never be placed above you and her children will not be placed above me?"

" Mary please," Katherine pleaded, she did not want her daughter to fall from her fathers graces just because of Anne, " The Lady Anne, will be your father's wife just as I am, she will be awarded all the same curtsies as if she were Queen…."

" But she wont be," Mary interrupted stubbornly, " She cannot have your title."

" No she cannot, but it matters little in any case, her son will be your fathers heir."

" If she has a son."

" You best hope she does Mary, it will not go well for any of us if she does not, and besides any children the lady has will be your brothers and sisters you must love them well." Katherine put it, she could not stop Mary from hating Anne but she would not have her daughter hating her trueborn siblings, whether they came from Anne's womb or not. The Pope had decreed it, Anne's children would be legitimate and Mary would learn to love them, as she had come to love little Henry Fitzroy, _yet Henry Fitzroy bought no threat to her, he was always a bastard._

" They will not be my true siblings." Mary said her voice firm, " they will not be your children, they will be hers."

" And your fathers," Katherine stressed not liking the tone of her daughters voice, had she done this? She could not have Mary make an enemy of Anne Boleyn no matter how much Katherine might hate the woman, to make an enemy of Anne would be to make an enemy of the King, " If they come you will love them and you will treat them kindly, do you understand?" _I will not have another civil war in England._

" Yes, mother."

" It will not be all bad Mary, you will see." Katherine tried, but the look on Mary's face told her plainly that her daughter did not believe such sentiments. _It could be worse,_ Katherine reminded herself, _Mary could have been called a bastard and you a whore, this was the best alternative._

* * *

 **March 5th 1527**

 _ **Whitehall Palace, London**_

"You look so lovely, Annie." Her sister said pulling on a stray strand of Anne's loose dark looks behind her ear, " The people will love you."

 _The People of England love Katherine,_ Anne sighed at her sister's words before looking at her own reflection in the looking glass in front of her. Her wedding gown was a dress of Anne's own design, she just felt grateful that the Royal seamstress had been able to complete it despite the time restraints that had been placed upon her. It would not have done well for Anne to look a pauper on her own wedding, especially not her wedding to the King of England, even if she was just his second wife.

As was the custom her gown was white in colour, with cream panelling upon the skirts and sleeves of the gown. Her sleeves were in the Tudor style, bell sleeves which opened up to reveal lace inner sleeves, the skirt was full, and the bodice square cut with diamonds adorning the neckline. She wore her hair down in loose curls, a lace veil sitting prettily upon her head, and a peal necklace around her neck. It was a gown fit for a Queen, everyone who had laid eyes upon it said as much, _but you are no Queen, nor will you ever be._

" The dress is beautiful," Anne said nodding her head, with a small smile, that at least had gone well for her. She did not want to admit it but she was nervous, nervous of the reception she was about to receive from the commons and nobles alike, and even more so of all that was to come afterwards. Perhaps Wolsey had been right, perhaps a small private affair would have been better, Henry had been open to the idea, but Anne with her fathers and uncles voices in her head had refused, _do you want them to think me your concubine and nothing more._ Her outburst (which had of course been for Henry's ears alone) had settled the matter, and the preparations for the Royal wedding had begun. She regretted that now, a simple affair would have been fine, it would have been better. The pope had given them leave to marry, there was not a person in England who could call their union invalid, there had been no need for such expensive and elaborate festivities, yet now that was what she had, it was too late to think of all she should have done.

" You must be so excited," Mary continued completely oblivious to her sisters worries, as she pulled the vial forward and in front of Anne's face, as two of Anne's ladies pulled at the train of her gown.

After the wedding she would be given a whole horde of new ladies, a few of Katherine's woman would come into her service Anne knew, those who bore Howard names or had some connection to her whether it be through blood or marriage. She needed her own around her, her father and her uncle have been certain of that. Yet a part of Anne thought it would have been better if all of her ladies had been new to court, blood did not always buy loyalty, she knew that well enough.

" Yes," Anne responded smiling tightly, she was more nervous than anything else, and anxious too, of this day and all the days to come. " Very."

" The King will not be able to take his eyes away from you," Mary said sweetly, " It would be hard for anyone to look away from you today."

While Anne appreciated her sisters efforts, she knew that Mary's words were not completely true, there were others that people would look to today, she would not be the centre of attention, not even on her wedding day. The king's sister would be present, and the whole of England knew of her fiery temperament, Henry's daughter too would be there, _she is my daughter I will not have them say she refuses me,_ as would Katherine, _The Queen of England._

She had been invited of course, they had to all of them seem to be content with their new arrangements, but neither Henry or Anne had expected her to accept the invitation. Mary was a different matter entirely of course, as the King's only legitimate child and heir, there had never been an option of her not being in attendance, but Katherine, Anne could not imagine why Katherine would want to attend, would it not be embarrassing for her to see her husband marry another? To see herself replaced by a younger and more beautiful woman. _She wants to remind all of England that she is still here, She wants them to know that I am no Queen, that she is still the Queen of England and I am just his second wife….I am only here to produce an heir._

" Yes, and you must be perfect because of it," Thomas Boleyn warned, grabbing hold of his daughters arm forcefully. Anne had almost forgotten his presence he had been so quiet, her father it seemed was as nervous as she was, " You must make sure they know where his heart truly lies, who his real Queen is."

" Katherine is his Queen," Anne bit back, tearing her arm away from her fathers grasp, " I have his heart it is true, but she is the Queen, no one is like to forget that." _I am the Queen of the King's heart, but she is the Queen of the people, they will love her as they will never love me._

" Katherine will hold the title yes, but once you give the King his great desire it will matter little." Thomas Boleyn continued as if his daughter had never spoken in the first place.

 _If I give him his great desire,_ Anne thought with a frown, _if I give him a son._

Anne nodded her head stiffly at her fathers words and placed a tight smile on her face, _do not let them see you frown, do not let them see you as being anything other than happy and content._

She would be travelling to the church in an open carriage, she would be on full view of the commons of England, she had to be perfect for them as much as she had to be perfect for Henry.

She would be the last carriage in the procession. The other guests (including her future husband and Katherine and her daughter) had already made their way to the church long ago, before the crowds had really started to grow.

The streets have been decorated beautifully. Everything was perfect, and had been well done; yet Anne could not help but notice that the crowds did not cheer her much. Anne waved and smiled widely and the people no matter the silence _do not let it bother you, once you birth their future King they will love you. They will cheer for you then,_ and it seemed that as she moved further alone in the procession, with her smile never faltering and her hand always waving graciously that the noise did begin to louden somewhat. Whether it was her imagination or not Anne did not care, today she was to marry her love, today she was to marry the King of England. Nothing else mattered.

That was the thought that kept running through her mind as she took her fathers arm and walked down the aisle to were Henry was waiting for her. She did not look at the guests, she did not notice Katherine or the Princess, she kept her eyes focused solely on him, and he did the same to her. It was as if they were the only two people in the world, and for now they were.

Wolsey conducted the ceremony with a doting smile, _he will try to be your ally now, the Queen hates him and you are a friend of France, the enemy of they enemy is my friend._ The whole ceremony went by in a blur, one second she was entering the church the next Henry's lips were upon hers in a fierce and passionate kiss. All this waiting for a moment that seemed to last seconds, yet she knew that it would forever be the most important moment of her life.

She was the King's lawfully wedded wife; her marriage had been blessed by the Pope himself. Let them call her a whore now, it mattered not, not anymore.

As Henry escorted her out of the Church while their guests clapped around her (even the Queen clapped briefly).

" Sweetheart how was that?" Henry whispered into her ear, " Did you like the city? Was not everything well done?"

" Yes," Anne whispered in return with a smile, " It was beautiful, but no one shouted, and they kept their hats on their heads. It was more like a funeral than a wedding."

" I don't want you to worry about that," Henry insisted firmly, " We have a banquet to go to, I want you to be happy. I want you to smile. Remember, you are my wife now."

" I know." _But not your Queen,_ " But…."

" I said, you are my wife," Henry insisted again, his voice growing slightly angry and his grip on her arm tightening, " Now, everyone is waiting for us."

Anne placed a smile on her face again, and waved to the crowds once again, she could not ruin this day. Henry was right she was his wife now, nothing else mattered.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Make way for his gracious majesty, King Henry, and Anne, The Princess Consort of England! Make way, make way!" The royal herald proclaimed as their carriage moved through the crowds.

It was done now; they were man and wife for now and forever. She was the King of England's wife, and the Princess Consort of England.

* * *

 _ **Queen of England's Rooms**_

" Did you enjoy the banquet Mary?" Katherine questioned her daughter, twirling a dark lock of the Princesses hair around her finger as she did so.

Katherine could not help but notice that her daughter scrunched her nose up slightly at her mother's words. The wedding was long over and done with, Henry had already bedded his new bride, she knew. Katherine herself had not attended the celebrations that had been held after the wedding ceremony, she had thought it best to spare them all the awkwardness of such an interaction (and if she was being truthful she did not want to witness the new happy couple in all their glory), but she had insisted that her daughter attend at least for a few hours. _She must not be forgotten, Mary must always remain in her fathers thoughts._

" It was a fine evening Mama," Mary responded brusquely, " Frances and Eleanor were there, they told me that Aunt Mary hates the Lady Anne just as we do Mama."

Katherine could not hold back her gasp at her daughter's words; it was not so much what she said but more the implication behind it. What would have happened if someone loyal to the Boleyn faction had overheard Mary and her cousin's words.

" She is not the Lady Anne anymore Mary, she is the Princess Consort of England. She is your father's wife, and your step-mother." Katherine reprimanded her daughter brusquely; she had not raised Mary to act to improper.

" I do not need a step-mother, I have you," Mary replied firmly crossing her arms over her chest, " and I will recognize no Queen in England besides my own mother."

" She is not the Queen Mary," Katherine said gently, placing her arms around her young daughter and pulling her close to her body, " but she is your father's wife and you will be civil with her, I will not have you or your cousins, nor even your Aunt, talking of the Princess in such a way, did you ever think what would have happened if someone had heard you?"

At that Mary lowered her hair shame shining through her dark eyes. Her daughter was young still, Katherine must remember that she knew, young and a Tudor, she was always going to be stubborn and wilful. She is a child still, a child that has had there whole world turned upside down, a child that thinks her father no longer loves her.

" I did not think so," Katherine said gently, " From here on out I will not have you speaking ill of Anne Boleyn. I am not telling you to like her, I am simply telling you that you must be civil with her, for the sake of us all."

" Yes, Mama." Mary said softly, never once looking up to meet her mother's eyes _is that because she is lying to me, or because she does not want me to see her upset?_

" Good, now tell me more about the feast, did you dance?"

" Yes, Mama," Mary responded looking up finally a slight smile on her face, " With Papa and Uncle Charles, and cousin Henry as well, it was a nice feast….even if it was for _her."_

" It was for England Mary, for England and for us all." No matter how hard she tried to, Katherine struggled to convince herself to the truth of her own words, if she hardly believed the sentiments how would her daughter ever believe them?

* * *

 **A/N: So how did you all like it? Please review to let me know your thoughts.**

 **As I said this chapter had many important moments, especially for Katherine, Anne and Mary, the relationship between these three woman will be a very interesting one, as they all learn to adapt to the path that has been chosen for them.**

 **Once again I ask that you all leave a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out, I had a little trouble with this chapter as I decided to change one key plot element so I had to make that work, and change things around a bit.**

 **This is a somewhat important chapter, with a few key story lines beginning to unfold, but at the same time it is a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it.**

 **Thank you as always to everyone that reviewed, or put** **myself or the story on their favourites/alerts lists. It really does encourage me to continue writing.**

 **I own nothing.**

 **Please read, enjoy and review.**

 **Chapter three:**

* * *

 **4th of May 1527**

 **Westminster Palace**

She had been married to the King for a little over two months now, and it seemed to her that everyday since her marriage and her creation as the Princess Consort of England (the countries hope for a healthy prince) that every person around (both her people and Katherine's) had been watching and waiting for a sign of a pregnancy.

She had conceived quickly, when her monthly courses had not begun Anne had known immediately that there was every chance she was with child…every chance that she carried a son in her womb. She had sought out a midwife in secrecy, the woman had confirmed Anne's suspicions and taken the money Anne offered her to keep the news to herself gladly. Anne knew well enough that a pregnancy did not always mean a living child would be born; she was in the position she was in for that very reason. The Queen had never found any problems in finding herself with child, it was keeping and delivering the her children that Katherine had had problems with (save the princess), and so Anne had not wanted to tell Henry straight away.

She had kept her cravings and sickness to herself, instead of taking to her bed as most woman did in the early stages of their pregnancies, she continued her daily routine as she had done in her short time as Henry's wife. It was not as if she did not want to tell her husband that she carried his child in her belly, she wanted to scream it to the world; to let everyone know that she had succeeded in all that she had promised, but apart of her was afraid, afraid of all the things her pregnancy might bring with it. The chance of a miscarriage or a stillbirth (or even a daughter) was always a possibility in Anne's mind, Katherine had failed time and time again, what was to say that Anne's own pregnancies would not follow suit? And then there was Anne's other worry, that her husband might take a mistress once he discovered her condition, for the sake and promise of a prince Henry might just forsake her bed for fear of harming their unborn child.

Eventually however she had had to tell him. She did not think she had ever seen him so happy as in that moment that she had told him she was carrying his child in her belly. Katherine had been barren for many years now; it had been a long time (almost ten years since the Queen had birthed a stillborn princess, and Bessie Blount had birthed her bastard), since Henry had been given any hope for a child; not just a son but also a healthy child. Like her he had seen the need to wait to make an official announcement, but she had not been able to persuade him to wait for as long as she would have liked. Anne wanted to wait until she was showing, until she was unable to hide the fact any longer, but Henry would not hear of it. He wanted all of England to know that his gamble in taking a second wife had paid off, he wanted them to see how quickly she had concieved, to him it was a sign that all that had occurred of late was worth it.

Anne too wanted to gloat in her pregnant state, why else would God grant her the chance to deliver a healthy son for England if he had not blessed their union. Yet Anne also knew the way things sometimes went with childbearing and childbirth. Her counterpart had gone through six pregnancies yet she had only one living child, and Anne herself had lost two brothers during her youth. Royal pregnancies were not as simple as just becoming with child and giving birth to the heir the country needed, and even if the child in her womb was healthy, who was to say it would be a boy. There was every chance that Anne could have a daughter before she had a son, and she honestly didn't know how Henry would react to such a thing if it happened, and to be truthful she was too afraid to ask, her husband what would happen if the child she carried were a daughter rather than the son she had promised. To him the child in her belly was a boy there was no other alternatives that he would hear of.

She carried a son. There was no other option available to her.

* * *

 **6th of May 1527**

 **Westminster Palace**

 _Anne was pregnant._ Her enemy, her counterpart, Henry's second wife was carrying his child in her belly, as Katherine had done six times before her. Six times for one healthy child, six pregnancies for one daughter, Katherine could not help but wonder how Anne's luck would go in the delicate game of Royal heirs.

To be true Katherine had known of Anne's pregnancy before any announcement had been made to the court and the public. She had spies in Anne's household, just as Anne no doubt had in hers. Queen's ladies the court had labelled to them and Queen's men while those loyal to Anne had been named the Princesses woman and the Princesses men. It was something that no one much liked to talk of in anything but a whisper, the fact that the King's court was all but split in two, each half mirroring that of the woman who was at it's head.

The fashions, the activities and of course the people all went a long way in representing the Queen of choice. Katherine's people were older, there style of dress more conserved, and their activities more moderate. Anne's were younger, new people with new money and new ways, they dressed in the latest and most expensive fashions (in the French style of course), and they spent their time dancing and gambling as if they had no cares in the world. The English court had become like two different worlds, and for now the majority wanted to be in Anne's, but really Katherine couldn't blame them. Why be with the setting son when you could be with the rising one?

For the most part she and Anne had managed to avoid each other, as much as was physically possible that was of course. Yet when one of her ladies had whispered to her that the Princess Consort had been quite ill and tired of late, that she had often retired to bed early, Katherine had immediately assumed the worst. The worst for her that was, for Anne clearly a pregnancy so early in her and Henry's marriage was a success, even if she were to bear Henry a daughter instead of a son, it would still be better than the five dead children she had laid at her husbands feet. She was only twenty after all; Henry would not be displeased in a healthy child no matter its sex, not for their first. It would be all the pregnancies after this one that would truly matter. Henry would not be pleased for just one child out of Anne, even if that child was a male, he would want more, that was just the way with Henry he always wanted more than he was given. No matter the cost.

She and Anne had avoided each other, as much was physically possible these last two months. Katherine of course would not submit, she would not retire as Henry no doubt wished her to, she would make sure she was present at Court and forever in the minds of those around her, _let them not forget who the Queen of England really is._ She had gone to Eltham with Mary when her daughter had first left court and returned to her residence, but she had not dared stay there long her fear of returning and finding everything drastically changed was too much for her to bear. And so despite her wishes to remain with her daughter Katherine had reluctantly returned after just a week. She was surrounded by people constantly, her ladies, Anne's ladies, the councillors and the courtiers, but Katherine did not think she had ever felt more lonely in all of her life. Even Mary had left her to fend for herself, Henry's sister had attended her brothers wedding celebrations with clenched teeth and a tight smile, thankfully she had not caused a scene, it was no secret that the Duchess of Suffolk wanted little to do with England's first Princess Consort, no doubt Charles had dragged her the festivities all but kicking and screaming, and Mary had left as soon as she was able to get leave from the King to do so.

Katherine couldn't blame her really, Mary had three children to care for and a household to run in Suffolk, she couldn't be expected to keep her sister-in-law company for months on end, especially not when doing so would mean that she would have to play civil towards Henry and his new bride. Mary had never been one to hold her tongue, especially not with such delicate and sensate matters. And so Katherine was lonely, never truly knowing who she could trust to keep her secrets and who she could not.

She would congratulate Anne and Henry on the pregnancy; she would plant a smile on her face and say all the right things. She would be the graceful and courteous wife England knew her as, and she would let nothing ruin her reputation nor her daughter's standing in her father's heart. While it was true that Anne's children would never be hers, it was also true that she would be their stepmother and Queen, and because of that Katherine would make sure that neither she nor Mary ever gave them cause to mistrust them. She had made a mistake with Henry Fitzroy, she had been cold and uncaring to him and already she had heard Anne bragging that the boy adored his newest step-mother, she had made sure that Henry Fitzroy had known her true feelings towards him, but he was a bastard Anne's children would not be. She would not make the same mistakes with Anne's children, she would make sure that she treated them kindly and with warmth as if she were a loving aunt, instead of a despised step-mother, and then maybe one day it would be her they ran to with their problems, her and not their mother that they confided in and trusted. Her that would work behind the scenes to make arrangements for them that suited her wants and needs.

She was _**still**_ the Queen of England after all.

* * *

"We were all greatly pleased to hear of the Princess Consorts pregnancy, Your Majesty," Cardinal Wolsey declared with an almost proud smile upon his face. He wanted to make sure that the other members of the King's council (as well as Henry himself) knew how _pleased_ he was with this latest development in the royal family. He also wanted to make it seem like this had been his plan all along, even though this was never how he had imagined any of this truly going.

The Pope was a coward that much remained true, despite the success that had quickly come from the King's second marriage. When Henry had originally requested his desire for a divorce, Wolsey had been more than eager to oblige him, Queen Katherine was a daughter of Spain, and it was no secret that Wolsey had many friends in France, nor was it a secret that the Cardinal and Queen had never truly seen eye to eye in most matters. Pope's granted King's divorces often, and if not for the Emperor's influence Wolsey had no doubt that Henry would have secured his divorce a lot sooner. Yet Anne Boleyn had never been Wolsey's choice for a Queen of England.

Wolsey would have made the choice of another foreign bride, one that would have better suited his (and England's needs) and if she had of delivered a son and heir for the King that would have simply been an added bonus. He had not known how infatuated the King was with Thomas Boleyn's daughter, nor had he thought that the Pope would be such a coward as to resort to allowing bigamy to occur, but that was the way in this game of King and Queen, you never knew quite what to expect, and now Wolsey had to make this new (and unusual situation) work to his favour.

Katherine would never love him nor would she even trust him, and while he and Anne may not have gotten off to the greatest of starts (he had labelled her a silly girl once) he knew Anne was the one he had to make his ally. Not only was she the woman who had the king's love and attention but she was also a friend of France, and most importantly she was pregnant, he just prayed that England's princess Consort did not have the same luck in producing an heir as its Queen. If Anne did not deliver the King a healthy son (within at least the first three years of her marriage) it would seem as if all this was for naught. And Wolsey would not like to think of what would happen if Anne failed just as Katherine had before her.

For now Anne would have the cardinal's support, Wolsey could not help but think they would both come to need each other in time.

" As were we," Henry responded with a large smile of his own, it had been almost ten years since he had had the hope of having a child, Katherine had given him a stillborn daughter, and Bessie Blount an illegitimate son, but Anne, Anne would give him his heir, " Our son will be born by Christmas, God willing."

" It is the prayer of us all that Your Majesty will be granted his great desire." Thomas Moore put in, never to be outdone by the Cardinal. It was no secret that Sir Thomas was a firm ally and supporter of the Queen, but as a devout Catholic he would never openly disagree with the Pope's declaration. Anne Boleyn's child would be legitimate, and it was best for all if that child were a boy.

At that Henry could do nothing more than nod, he had called his councillors to Court for a reason, and he was eager to get the matters at hand done with as quickly as possible, " I have called you all here to Court for two reasons, Firstly, I wish to put an act of succession through Parliament formally including the children of the Princess Consort as my lawful heirs."

It was of course known throughout all of Europe that Anne's children would be legitimate, that if she birthed a son he would be the next King of England but Henry wanted it done formally, he wanted to announce it to all, that the future of England was invested in his second bride and not Katherine and their daughter.

" I have drafted the Act to be passed through Parliament, Wolsey if you will please." Henry ordered handing the papers in front of him over to his Chancellor with but a flick of his wrist.

Wolsey nodded his head dutifully before reading the papers in front of him to the councillors present, " His Majesty wishes for the Act to declare the marriage between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn as valid, ' that the lawful matrimony had and solemnized between your highness and your most dear and entirely beloved wife Princess Anne, shall be established and taken for undoubtful, true, sincere, and perfect ever hereafter, according to the just judgment of the 1527.' The Act shall also seek to declare that the succession would pass through the heirs of King Henry VIII and the Princess Consort, 'And also be it enacted by authority aforesaid, that all the issue had and procreated, or hereafter to be had and procreated, between your highness and your said most dear and entirely beloved wife Princess Anne, shall be your lawful decried children, and be inheritable, and inherit, according to the course of inheritance and laws of this realm, the imperial crown of the same, with all dignities, honours, pre-eminences, prerogatives, authorities, and jurisdictions to the same annexed or belonging, in as large and ample manner as your highness at this present time has the same as King of this realm; the inheritance thereof to be and remain to your said children and right heirs in manner and form as hereafter shall be declared.'" Wolsey had been about to read the third and final declaration when Thomas Moore interrupted him.

" Your Majesty if I may," Moore said, his voice calm and even, Henry could not help but wonder if he were nervous, " In the unlikely event that the Princess Consort does not deliver a son….."

" I believe, Sir Thomas, that the Cardinal was just about to state such a matter," Henry bit out his voice tight; trust Thomas to remind everyone of Katherine and Mary, " Continue, Wolsey. "

" Finally the act would declare that in the absence of sons that the succession would pass to the _legitimate_ issue female of King Henry VIII, ' And for default of such sons of your body begotten, and of the heirs of the several bodies of every such sons lawfully begotten, that then the said imperial crown, and other the Premises, shall be to the issue female between your majesty and your said most dear and entirely beloved _wives_ Queen Katherine and Princess Anne, begotten, that is to say: First to the eldest issue female which is the Princess Mary, and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten, and second to any such issue female begotten hereafter and to the heirs of their body.'"

" Very good Your Majesty," Thomas Boleyn exclaimed with a large and proud smile upon his face. For now Katherine's daughter remained the heir to the throne, but once Anne delivered the boy in her belly the girl could be quickly married off and forgotten.

" Yes, Yes," Thomas Howard added with his own smile. It was his family too that would be benefiting once Anne delivered a son, " Very well done indeed."

" Your Majesty said you had two matters you wished to bring before us?" Charles Brandon questioned, curious as to what else Henry needed to bring before his council.

" Yes, I wish to reopen talks between England and France," Henry stated firmly, " I want the Princess Mary to be betrothed to the Dauphin."

" A fine thought, Your Majesty." Wolsey exclaimed clearly happy with this new development. He had been quite upset when the original betrothal of 1518 had been broken within just three years, in favour of a Spanish alliance, which too had been broken quickly. The Queen's daughter was almost of an age to be married, it was important to make an alliance now while she was still young and still had suitors to choose from.

There was no reason as to why the French would not agree to the arrangement as they once had before.

" We will suggest to the French ambassador that the marriage take place upon the Princesses eighteenth birthday," Henry explained, the Dauphin was two years younger than his Mary and so it seemed only logical to wait until the boy had at least reached his sixteenth birthday. Katherine too might not make such a fuss if she knew she would have Mary with her for a few more years at least.

Katherine would not be pleased, he had said as much to Anne when she had voiced her thoughts in regards to Mary's marriage prospects. He had been surprised really when Anne had bought up the issue, Anne was Mary's stepmother it was true, but it was not as if Mary did not have a mother of her own to think about such matters, yet he had seen the truth in her words almost immediately. It was important to strike while the iron was hot, for now Mary was the heir to the English throne, why not make her the future Queen of France.

He could not help but hear Anne's words at such thought, _Her daughter will be a Queen after all, is that not what she has always wanted._

Katherine would see reason eventually. Mary would be a Queen, just as her mother had always wanted her to be.

* * *

 **23rd of June 1527**

 **Westminster Palace**

Anne was dressed simply in a tight fitting blue gown, with bell sleeves. She made sure to wear tight fitting gowns in these early days of her pregnancy, it was the only way the tiny swell of her stomach was visible, and when seated in front of the entirety of her husbands court it was imperative that her continued pregnancy be made known. Especially when Katherine was seated just on the other side of her…. their husband.

When Anne and Henry had first married Anne had foolishly believed that Katherine would choose to spend her time in a country residence or with her daughter, at least for the times when she was not absolutely needed at court. Yet Katherine had seemed to have other ideas, she was even more involved in the court life than she had been while Anne was simply Henry's mistress. She was determined to always outdo Anne in everyway, if Anne decided to feast with the court and King, than Katherine would be there too, on Henry's other side with the jewels of the Queen of England always upon her person. Katherine of Aragon would not be forgotten, she was a daughter of Spain and in her eyes she was born to be England's Queen, Anne should have known better than to think that her counterpart would disappear quietly and without a fight.

" How are you feeling Anne?" Katherine questioned softly. It always went like this when they were in public. Anne and Katherine would share some tedious pointless conversation for a few moments, _they must both seem civil and content at all times with their situation,_ Henry would sometimes join in, and then they would cease in their contact with each other. Anne in times past would have chosen to join the dancing and the festivities occurring around them, but now with her pregnancy Anne was careful not to exert herself to greatly. Instead she had made the decision to spend her time cultivating the members of Henry's Court. There were always people eager to gain her favour and Anne was more than eager to give it to them, she still had too many enemies. No doubt that would change once her son was born.

" I am well, thank you," Anne responded carefully, her hand going to her stomach without a second thought, " We both are. "

" I pray daily for your safe delivery." Katherine said not without grace, Anne could not help but wonder if the words were true. Did Katherine really pray for Anne to give Henry a healthy child, when she had so often failed to do so herself.

Anne nodded with a small smile, knowing it was her turn now to start a conversation, Katherine had started, Anne now had to finish it, " Tell me, how is the Princess was she happy to hear the news?"

" Mary prays always for a healthy sibling, she was overjoyed to hear that there would be a new addition at Eltham." Katherine responded her eyes averted. Mary had done as she must and sent a letter of congratulations to her father and stepmother, but her letter to Katherine had held a different tune. Her daughter was worried, worried that Anne's child would replace her in her father's affections, and for that reason Katherine knew the girl seemed bitter. But Mary was a good girl at heart, once her new brother or sister was born, Mary would dote upon it no doubt. She was stubborn it was true, but she was no unkind. Katherine had not raised a jealous nor malicious child.

" Oh yes, well…I had meant was she pleased to learn of her betrothal to the Dauphin?" Anne questioned with a slight laugh, the French had agreed to the betrothal she knew, Henry had told her as much just the last week, and she had no doubt he had sent his daughter a letter informing her of her good luck, she just could not understand why Katherine was now staring at her with dull and confused eyes.

" I am sorry, Your Highness I do not quite follow what you are speaking of, " Katherine responded curtly, her eyes landing on her husband who all of a sudden had a tight expression upon his face, " Henry, what does she speak of?" In her anger in thinking that Henry had went behind her back in such an important matter, and had thought to inform Anne of it and not herself, his Queen and Mary's mother, left her rattled and her Spanish accent coming through.

At Katherine's words Anne immediately faltered, Katherine could not blame her for this, she obviously did not know that Katherine had not been informed, yet she did not speak, she simply bit her lip her pale cheeks growing more red with every second.

" I have reached an arrangement with King Francis. Mary will marry the Dauphin upon her eighteenth birthday, She will be a Queen Katherine, you should be pleased." Henry's answer made it quite clear that his mind would not be changed. Her daughter, her only child, would marry a child of France, Katherine's enemy; but Katherine would not be able to change his mind, not now.

In another time, she would have voiced her opinion, she would have expressed her outrage that her husband had made such a decision without first consulting her, that he would inform their daughter (and whore) before he had her, but Katherine bit her tongue. She had to choose her battles carefully; this was not one she would win.

So the Queen of England bit her tongue, " I am of course pleased, and I am sure Mary will be overjoyed." Katherine responded smoothly, before standing from her chair, and walking from the great hall of Westminster, with her head held high and the skirts of her golden gown rustling beneath her.

She was the Queen of England still, and now her daughter would be a Queen too. That was all she must think of, anything else would cause her too much trouble, and for now she needed to stay clear of all kinds of conflict.

Anne would see soon that not everything was lovely and roses when their husband was concerned.

* * *

 **26th of June 1527**

 **Eltham Palace**

Mary stared at the letter in front of her with pursed lips, going over every word in her head over and over as she had for the past four days, since the letter had been delivered. The letter was from her father, informing her that she would soon be needed at court.

Mary was once again to be betrothed to the Dauphin of France. She would be a French Queen, as her aunt Mary had once been. Truthfully Mary didn't know how to feel, she had been raised to believe that she would one day be a Queen, Mary had just always assumed it would be of England, she supposed that France would now just have to do.

 _Don't forget to pray for your stepmother, she carries your brother in her womb. The future of England,_ That was how her father had ended his letter to her, she had known Anne was pregnant, her governess had informed her of the Princess Consorts pregnancy once an official announcement had been made, and soon after Anne and her baby were added to the end of all of Mary's prayers, not by choice but rather out necessity. For her mother's sake (and her own) Mary would do as instructed, she needed to stay in her father's good graces, even more so now that Anne was pregnant.

Mary hoped the baby was a girl, she prayed for a sister daily. When everyone else prayed for a healthy Prince of Wales for England, Mary instead prayed for a healthy little Princess. She had no doubt that Anne would one day give her father a son, and Mary in turn a brother. Mary just didn't want it to happen straight away….if Anne birthed a son, within the first year of her marriage to the King, then Mary was afraid that people would start talking of her parents marriage. That maybe it wasn't true and legal, as the Pope had decreed, if Anne could deliver a son so quickly when the Queen had failed time and time again.

It was something Mary didn't like to think of often, but when she was constantly reminded of Anne's pregnancy every day it made it hard not to think of the fact that she could have a brother by Christmas so it made it easier for her to think it would be a sister and not a brother that Anne would deliver her. Mary's betrothal to the Dauphin confused her just for that reason.

There was no guarantee that the child in her stepmothers belly was the long awaited for Prince of Wales, so why would her father want her to be promised to France when she remained his heir. There was no way that the King would ever want his throne on French hands and control, and her mother certainly would not want her promised to the enemy of her homeland, as such Mary had summarised that the betrothal must have been Anne's idea, and her father so willing to please her in her pregnant state had consented without truly thinking of the consequences of such an arrangement could mean.

Anne no doubt was thinking of her own children and their futures. With Mary promised to France perhaps Anne thought that her father would exclude her from the line of succession in the case that Anne failed to deliver him a son. Yet Mary knew better than that, along with the news of Anne's pregnancy also came the news of a new act of succession, which stated that in case of no sons being produced from the King's new marriage that the throne would pass to Mary and her male offspring, if Mary failed to deliver any children only then would the throne pass to any daughter of Anne's.

Her stepmother might have thought herself clever with this little arrangement, Mary would be a Queen of France from her marriage and so it would seem to be unfitting for either Mary or her mother to complain about the arrangement, despite the intentions that may have went behind it. Mary would be the Queen of France, but if Anne thought for a second that that meant that would mean that Mary would willingly give up her birthrights to the English throne, than she was surely mistaken.

Mary would take the French throne, and if God willed it that Anne did not deliver a Prince to take the throne of her father, than Mary would make sure that her own would sit upon the throne after him.

It would be God's will.

* * *

 **1st of July 1527**

 **Westminster Palace**

The betrothal agreement between Princess Mary of England and Henri the Dauphin of France was signed and agreed upon by both parties without much excitement. Yet still it seemed that both the Queen and the Princess Consort (as well as the Princess Mary) had been determined to dress lavishly for the occasion.

Queen Katherine had worn a gold gown to celebrate her daughter's betrothal to France. She wore a red coat over the top of the gown, with her hair placed in an elaborate bun. As always she wore the Queen of England's jewels upon her person. She wore a tight smile on her face, yet no one would dare claim that she looked displeased by the events that were taking place.

The Princess Consort had dressed herself in a gown of purple with bell sleeves and a tight fit around her ever-growing bump. Like her counterpart, she wore her hair up in a bun, with a purple tiara sitting prettily upon her dark hair. Her smile was far more cheerful than that of the Queen, but then why wouldn't it be? She had suggested betrothing her stepdaughter to Francis eldest son, and it was she that was carrying the King's child…a possible son. There was no reason as to why Anne Boleyn would be anything other than content.

Princess Mary was of course dressed the most extravagantly. It was her day after all. The heir presumptive to the English throne wore her dark hair down, her lady governess had styled the Princesses dark locks into elegant curls, and she wore a pretty silver tiara upon her head. The dress was by her estimations the most expensive and extravagate she had ever worn. It was blue and silver in its colouring with a pretty lace pattern upon the bodice and bell sleeves, the dress had a small train, and Mary knew she looked a true princess of England in such a gown, yet still she hated it, and even more she hated that her mother had insisted upon her wearing it.

Originally, she was supposed to wear one of the gowns she already had in her pocession. The betrothal had been agreed upon so quickly, and her mother informed of it so late that there hadn't been an appropriate amount of time for her mother to design and oversee the making of a more fitting gown for the ceremony. However Anne Boleyn had quickly fixed such problems, and Mary could not help but grind her teeth together slightly at the memory.

 _She had been in her mother's rooms, with her mother, Aunt Mary and Lady governess. She had been trying outfits on for a little over an hour she was sure when one of her mothers ladies had come bursting into the room curtsying quickly. She had looked as if she had just been running even though Mary knew she could not have come more than a few steps._

" _Your Majesty," She had exclaimed sounding quite out of breath, " The Princess Consort requests an audience with you."_

" _What on earth could the little strumpet want now?" The Duchess of Suffolk questioned with a roll of her eyes, Mary could not help but smile at her Aunts words. The king's sister at least was still not afraid to show her true feelings in regards to her father's second wife._

" _Mary please," Queen Katherine muttered a warning clear in her tone, " What time does the Princess Consort wish to meet with me Lady Horsman?"_

" _She requests your presence immediately, Your Majesty," Margery Horsman replied an air of nervousness in her tone, " She is just outside."_

" _Very well," Katherine replied, and Mary could just tell by her mothers tone, that she had been somewhat annoyed by Anne's insistence upon a meeting, " Send her in then."_

 _Anne walked into the Queen's rooms with her head held high. She wore a gown that had been burgundy in its colouring (Mary could not help but think that every time she had seen her stepmother since her marriage to the King, that she had been wearing some shade of purple), the dress had bell sleeves, and golden embroidery upon the waist of the gown. She wore her hair down with a simple headpiece and a matching necklace around her neck. Her bump was growing steadily, yet still the woman could not be called large._

 _Mary did as she knew she must and bent her knee slightly, her governess sunk into a deep curtsey with a muttered, 'Your Majesty,' but neither Mary's aunt or mother made any effort to greet the Princess consort other than a nod of their heads. Her mother of course was not expected to bow down to her husband's second bride, but Mary knew that her aunt would have been expected to make more of an effort. If her father had of been there Mary knew he would not have been pleased by his sister's disrespect, yet if Anne was upset by it (which Mary had no doubt she would be) it didn't show._

 _She was flanked by two of her ladies, her sister and Nan Saville, in her hands Nan carried a pile of fabric, and Mary could not help but strain her head to see what it was._

" _You wished to speak with me Anne?" The Queen questioned her tone icy but not rude._

" _Yes," Anne responded her tone almost identical in nature to Katherine's; " I had come to ask if you had yet organised a gown for the Princess for the betrothal ceremony?"_

 _Mary heard her aunt scoff and saw her roll her eyes at Anne's question, but neither the Queen nor Princess Consort made mention of it._

" _We were looking through our options just as you came in, Anne." Katherine stated, gesturing to Mary standing before them in a golden gown. It was a gown she often wore when coming to court; no doubt Anne had seen it before._

" _Oh good, " Anne responded with a smile, before motioning for Nan to step forward, it was then that Mary noticed that Nan was not simply holding a pile of fabrics but rather a gown, " I had intended to gift this gown to Mary for Christmas, but it was finished earlier than I would have expected and given how quickly the betrothal was agreed upon I thought perhaps that Mary might like to wear a_ _ **new**_ _gown for the ceremony."_

 _Mary could see her mother bitting her lip in an effort most likely not to yell at her counterpart, yet Katherine never uttered a word, instead she stood gracefully from her seat and walked over towards where Nan Saville was holding the gown in question. She looked over it for a few minutes, fingering the material and going over every detail of the gown with great precision._

" _It is a lovely gown," Katherine said finally, " How thoughtful of you Anne to go to such efforts, I am sure Mary would love to wear it. Wouldn't you darling?"_

 _Mary wanted to refuse, she wanted to tell Anne Boleyn that she didn't need her gown, but instead she gritted her teeth and smiled kindly, " Yes, thank you, My Lady stepmother."_

So now Mary stood in a dress of Anne's designs watching as her father and the French ambassador signed the agreement that would seal her fate to France. It was the third betrothal agreement that Mary had been a part of, France, Spain and now France again, yet Mary knew that it would most likely be this one that stuck.

At the age of eighteen she would marry the heir to the French throne. At the age of eighteen she would become the future Queen of France.

* * *

 **A/N: So there was chapter three I hope you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter.**

 **In this Chapter we learned that Anne is pregnant, this was the piece of the story that I decided to change around a bit, and while the changes I made are not evident in this chapter they will be in the next, and I hope no one will be disappointed in the decision that I made in regards to Anne's pregnancy and the child she is carrying.**

 **The other important event in this chapter was of course Mary once again being betrothed to Francis the Dauphin of France. The marriage will take place once Mary has reached the age of eighteen. So still a long wait until that takes place.**

 **Oh and a new Act of succession was also passed. How exciting!**

 **Anyway the next chapter will introduce a new arrival, so please review as it encourages me to write faster.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Geez I've got this update thing down pat at the moment don't I?**

 **This is a rather short chapter and for that I am sorry. It is an important chapter nonetheless, with a very important arrival, however I also see it as a bit of a filler chapter, leading up to the more important things to come. I hope you all enjoy it in any case.**

 **A huge thanks you to everyone who has reviewed the story or put myself or the story on their favourites/alerts list.**

 **As always I own nothing.**

 **Please read, review and enjoy.**

 **Chapter 4:**

* * *

 **18th of November 1527**

 **Palace of Placenta, Greenwhich**

" It is a girl, Your Majesty," The midwives voice announced, answering Anne's earlier inquiry as to the sex of the child she had just delivered into the world, " A healthy little princess, perfectly formed and in good health."

Anne could not help but sob at the news. Loud ugly cries left her lips, but she did not care. She had failed. She had failed England and she had failed the King.

" I have failed," She exclaimed, unable to control her emotions, she sounded like a broken woman," I have failed. God help me."

Her waters had broken late the previous night, and within six hours she had been delivered of her child. It had not been a difficult birth, as with her pregnancy everything had run smoothly for Anne in the birthing chamber, everything of course except for the result of her pregnancy. She had thought that she had never known such pain throughout the course of her labour, but that was nothing compared to the pain and disappointment she now felt at the midwives words.

She had promised Henry a son. The whole of England had expected a Prince from her and she had delivered another daughter, another Princess for England, and hers would not even be the country's heir. Katherine's blood still was next in line to the throne.

" Do not weep Anne," Mary's voice said from next to her, her sister's tone was soothing as she rubbed a stray hair from Anne's face, "It is not becoming of you, you are the Princess Consort of England, sit up and smile, you have just given England a healthy Princess. Yes it is a girl this time, but it will be a boy next time, do you hear me?"

" Is she beautiful?" Anne questioned calming down slightly, her sister was right, she was young still. Boys would follow.

" Oh yes Anne, yes, yes." Mary assured smiling slightly.

" Give me the child," Anne ordered sitting herself up higher against her pillows, " Give me my daughter."

Anne watched with tired eyes as the midwives and her ladies cleaned the screaming and wiggling bundle that was her child. She held out her arms, as she knew she must when they came forward with their piles of blankets and took the babe in her arms, and within seconds all of her pains and disappointments were forgotten.

England's newest princess had a head full of dark glossy hair, her skin was pale white with a slight pink tinge (that Anne guessed most newborns to have), she was the King in miniature, a true likeness of her father. There was some of Anne in the girl of course, her mouth and nose Anne thought looked to be Boleyn and Howard traits, but the rest of the girl was all Tudor and Anne was glad for it. Her daughter would grow to be a beauty, that much at least she was sure of.

" The King will want to know of the birth of his child," Anne announced her head held high, she would not let them say that she was disappointed in her daughters birth, no matter how much Anne might wish that a son had come first, now that she had the girl in her arms she would not trade her; not for anything, " And I want the bells rung at once."

" Do you think that wise Your Majesty….I mean," _You did not birth a prince,_ The girl was no doubt one of Katherine's, A Queen's lady. Anne would have her dismissed as soon as she was able.

" Do you not think Lady Alsham, that his Majesty will not be pleased by his daughters birth?" Anne snapped irritated. There would be some who would think this to be the end of her, that her daughters birth would be her undoing, they would be very much mistaken.

Henry would be disappointed, yes; he would be at first, just as Anne herself had been. They had both wanted a boy, but this would be her husband's first healthy child since Hal Fitzroy's birth, Anne did not doubt that his disappointment over the sex of the baby would fade quickly. Besides, just last week Henry had assured her that he did not care so much for the child's sex as he did for it's health. _As long as it's healthy,_ those had been his words, of course he had been trying to soothe her, she had been worried and unable to keep her emotions at bay, _As long as it's healthy,_ what did it matter if he had only said the words to soothe her the sentiments remained the same.

A healthy and beautiful daughter would always be better than a weak and sickly son.

* * *

The word's had hardly left Nan Saville's mouth ( _The Princess has been delivered),_ before Henry was on his feet and making his way towards Anne's bedchamber. He didn't even wait to hear the rest of Anne's ladies words; he just wanted to see his son.

He bounded into Anne's room with a happy and content smile, ignoring the bows and curtsies around him as he made his way to Anne's bed, where she lay cradling the newborn infant in her arms.

" Well, " He exclaimed smiling largely, " Is he strong?"

" My Lord," Anne began moving the babe closer to him so that he might see his son better, the boy let out a healthy cry and Henry could not help but laugh.

" Those are a fine set of lungs," Henry stated proudly, "We will call him Edward, it is a lucky name for English kings. " He had always wanted a son called Edward.

" I have borne you a daughter, your majesty. " Anne said loudly, interrupting Henry's happy ramblings.

Immediately the King's happy expression fell, " A daughter?" He questioned unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Why had no one told him, why had they not prepared him better.

"Yes," Anne answered, trying to keep the smile firmly on her lips. He must not think that she too was disappointed, " Henry, we have a beautiful daughter, next time we will have a strong son."

" Is the child in good health?" Henry questioned the doctors and midwives behind him.

" Perfect, Your Majesty."

" Good," Henry answered, some of his disappointment fading slightly. Anne had given him a daughter in place of a son, yet still the girl was healthy, was that not in itself a blessing from God. Hal Fitzroy had been the last healthy child born to him, and before that Mary, his daughter by Anne was further proof that he was capable of having healthy heirs, " Well if we can have a healthy daughter, we can have a healthy son."

" What shall we call her, Henry?" Anne questioned, she had a name in mind already, but she knew not to push her luck, not when it was a daughter in her arms rather than a son.

For a second Henry was stumped by Anne's question, he had not thought of any girl's names for their child. He had been so convinced they were having a son, "Perhaps Elizabeth?" Henry put forward, " For my mother and yours."

Despite herself Anne could not help but scrunch her nose slightly, and Henry noticed immediately, " Do you not like it?"

" Oh no Henry, it's not that," Anne assured quickly, she did want to use the name one day but not now, " Of course Elizabeth is a fine name, a name that I would gladly bless our daughter with it's just that, she doesn't look like an Elizabeth."

At that Henry could not help but laugh slightly, " Let me see her then," He said taking his daughter into his arms and looking at her. Anne was right, the name did not suit their newborn daughter, " You are right Anne, of course. Did you have a name in mind?"

" Isobel?" Anne questioned with a smile, " Shall we call her Isobel?"

" Isobel," Henry repeated, rolling the name around on his tongue. It was a fine choice, a fitting name for a Princess of England, " Yes, Isobel she shall be."

Isobel Tudor, Princess of England.

* * *

When the bells had first been rung Katherine had thought for sure that Anne had succeeded where she had so often failed, that Anne had birthed a son for their husband, a future King of England, to say she was shocked to hear that Anne Boleyn had birthed another daughter would have been an understatement.

Henry had another daughter. England had another princess, and Mary still was her father's heir. Yet Katherine would not gloat in this apparent failure, as many would no doubt expect of her. From all accounts, the girl was healthy and beautiful, it was more than Katherine had given the King in years, and Anne was young still, a boy would come Katherine was just a bit grateful that it had not come so quickly.

Henry had not been angry. From her spies she had learnt that while the King had been disappointed at first, he now would not let his daughter out of his sight, he was so besotted by her. It had been the same with Mary; Katherine could not help but remember. Everyone herself included had been worried over Henry's reaction to his first daughter's birth. Mary had been healthy and beautiful (just as Anne's girl was said to be) but she had been the wrong sex, there was no denying that they had desperately needed a son only to be given a daughter. Katherine had been in such a state with worry, but she needn't have been. All Henry had cared about was that they had a living and breathing child.

For all his talk of needing sons, her husband was a good father, he would love Anne's daughter as he did Mary, no matter the child's sex. Katherine's first child had been born dead, a stillborn daughter, no doubt Henry would see the birth of a healthy child as a positive sign, a blessing on his union to Anne even if it was not a son this time.

Anne Boleyn was still young, for now the absence of a son would affect her little, if such an absence continued however, well Katherine did not like to think of what would happen then. She did not like Anne, Katherine doubted she ever would like or even be able to like a woman who supplanted herself in Henry's affections, half of Katherine was glad for this apparent failure, the other half of her scared.

For a son and heir Henry had already changed the course of England's future forever, if Anne did not eventually birth their husband a son Katherine worried of what other changes might take place, but for now she knew she had to put such thoughts behind her. Mary was being bought to her and together they would meet England's newest Princess.

She was not left waiting long, soon enough Mary was standing in front of her, a tired and questioning look on her face. She had known of her step-mother's labour, she had not been told of the result, Katherine had been very clear to Mary's governess, she would be the one to tell her daughter of her newest sibling, boy or girl.

"Mother," Marry addressed with a quick curtsey, before running into her mother's waiting arms, " Has _she_ delivered."

" Yes," Katherine said carefully rubbing a strand of her daughter's dark locks between two fingers, " The Princess Consort has delivered you a sister, God be praised."

" A sister?" Mary repeated her face awestruck, like Katherine no doubt the little princess had been expecting a son and brother, " So she has failed? Father will get rid of her now, she has not done what she promised to do."

At that Katherine could not help but gasp slightly, she had expected Mary to be happy that Anne had not yet given her a brother, but she had not expected her to speak so out of turn, Katherine had made it clear to her daughter on multiple occasions that she must always be careful of her words and actions, _you never know who might be listening,_ she shuddered to think what Henry would say if he heard of his daughters reaction to her sister's birth.

" Mary," Katherine exclaimed bending down to her daughters level, " I will not allow you to speak in such a way, especially about your own blood. The Princess Consort has delivered a _healthy_ child, she is young and fertile and your father is pleased with her and your sister, Anne will not be replaced, it is time you got used to that darling."

" But how can he be happy?" Mary questioned sullenly, " Anne was meant to give England a Prince and all she has done is give it another girl, how can he be happy with her if he was never happy with you?"

" Because Anne's daughter is alive and healthy Mary, you were the last living child I gave your father and I can assure you he was more than pleased with your birth," Katherine responded fighting to keep her emotions in check. It hurt her to know that her daughter thought so little of her own self worth, that she thought her own father was displeased in her, " Come now Mary let us go meet your sister," _Let us meet England's newest princess._

The walk to Anne's room seemed unusually short, although Katherine had never had a reason to visit them before now, yet still it did not feel like a long time at all before she was in front of the door to her rivals rooms, her daughter beside her clutching her hand desperately.

Katherine did not wait to be announced, nor did she ask to be permitted entrance, she was the Queen of England still and this child was her step-daughter, she would not have it dictated upon what she could and could not do.

Herself and Mary's entrance bought much hushed whispers and haste's curtsies obviously no one had been expecting them, well Mary they would have expected in time but not Katherine. Anne's rooms were not so full as she would have imagined, her ladies were all there of course running around about there duties, as were Anne's immediate family members, the Duke of Norfolk, her father and brother all seated together with grimaces on their faces, Thomas Boleyn would not yet get his dukedom in his eyes his daughter had surely failed.

The only other courtiers in the room were the Duke and Duchess Suffolk, but then like the Boleyn's they were _technically_ family. No doubt if Anne had delivered the long awaited prince she had so confidently promised the room would have been bursting full with courters seeking to gain the Princess Consort's favour by congratulating her on her success. Anne had delivered a daughter and as such the member's of Henry's court were no doubt undecided upon how they must act.

" Katherine, " Her sister-in-laws voice sounded shocked as if she like everyone else was surprised to see her there, Katherine wondered if Mary thought she was only their to gloat in Anne's failures as no doubt Henry's sister was more than pleased to do herself, " We had not expected you."

Katherine accepted Mary's affectionate kiss on the cheek with a smile, " England has a new Princess, and I a step-daughter it is only reasonable that I would come to see her," Katherine responded in a hushed whisper, despite the lowness of her tone Katherine still watched her words, Anne's eyes and ears were all around her now, she had to be careful she could not appear to be gloating, " And besides Mary wished to visit her sister, didn't you darling?"

" Yes, Mama." Mary responded subduedly, Katherine wished she had at least tried to muster some enthusiasm; no doubt she would be happier once she met the girl.

" Is his Majesty not here?" Katherine questioned noticing her husband's absence.

" He is with Her Majesty," The duke of Suffolk answered, eyeing his wife carefully as he spoke.

" He has not left her side, since the babe was thrust into his arms," Mary added her tone full of disapproval, " You would think she had birthed a son with all the fuss he is making."

" Mary," Charles hissed warningly, before turning to Katherine with a forced smile, " I am sure yourself and the Princess are more than welcome to see the princess now, we were the last visitors."

At that Katherine nodded taking Mary's hand once again and leading her into Anne's bedchamber, and as soon as she entered Katherine wanted to turn back around. Anne was seated on her bed, propped up by her pillows and holding the babe in her arms, Henry had his arms wrapped around her lovingly his eyes firmly attached to his new daughter.

It was a scene she would have expected to see had Anne birthed a son. He did not look at all disappointed, and Katherine could not help but wonder how much of that was true and how much was an act for Anne's benefit.

" Mary darling," Henry said the shock slightly eveident in his voice, " Would you like to come and meet your sister."

Mary hesitated for only a moment before letting go of her mothers hand and all but running to Anne's bedside.

" She looks like me," Mary stated suddenly, and Katherine could not help but move her legs forward to get a better look. When no one spoke against it she continued moving until she was standing just behind her daughter, with a perfect view of England's newest princess.

Anne's daughter did resemble her own. They were both very true to their father's image, but of course there were bits of the girl that were Anne, just as there were bits of Katherine in Mary.

" She is very beautiful, she is a credit to you both," Katherine said, her voice thick and full of emotion, she would have to live with this reminder of her husband's infidelity in a way that she had never had to deal with Henry Fitzroy, " What name have you given her?"

" Her name is Isobel," Anne said speaking for the first time, " Isobel Tudor."

It was not the name Katherine had expected, she had thought for sure that Henry would think to use Margaret or Elizabeth (Tudor names), but the name was a good and English name and it suited the infant well.

" Can we call her Izzie?" Mary questioned suddenly her eyes on Anne and Henry.

" If you wish Princess, she is your sister." Anne responded and Katherine would never have been able to say that she had been unkind to Mary.

She hoped now that Mary would be more reserved in her hatred of her father's second wife. As Katherine had expected Mary would love her new sibling as soon as she laid eyes upon her, and perhaps her love for Isobel would somewhat soften her resentment of Anne, and make things a bit easier for them all.

* * *

 **2nd of December 1527**

 **Palace of Placenta, Greenwhich**

" How could you let this happen?"

At her father's words, Anne could not help but grimace. She would have naive to think that he would have had a positive reaction to his granddaughter's birth, but the fact that he had waited so long to mention it had made Anne think that he had simply let it go.

The king loved Isobel dearly, as did Anne. She was an easy baby to care for, and although Henry had refused to allow Anne to breastfeed their daughter, _Queen's don't do that, at least not for a daughter,_ that had been the only inclination that he had given towards his disappointment at their daughter's sex.

Anne knew well enough that Isobel was not enough, she needed to conceive again and quickly, but for the time being at least she did not want to be bought down by such negativity, she just wanted to enjoy her daughter's presence before it was taken away from her.

After the Christmas and New Years celebrations were over with, Isobel would be sent to Eltham with the Princess Mary, and Anne would have to learn what it meant to be the wife of a King and a mother. Her daughter would be mostly raised by others; it was a thought she was still not comfortable with.

" I did nothing." Anne responded firmly, rocking Isobel in her arms slightly, he would not yell at her while her daughter was in her arms, she knew that much at least.

" You were supposed to give the King a son. You promised him a son."

" And I will give him one," Anne responded firmly. She was a young woman still, and she had just birthed a healthy and beautiful princess for the realm, a boy would follow, " I will give him more than one."

" You better, " Thomas ground out between clenched teeth, " And in the meantime you must make sure that you do not lose the King's love."

" You speak as if his love for me is something that can be lost Papa," Anne responded her temper rising slightly, " The King loves me, and he loves our daughter, nothing can change that."

" For now," Thomas agreed with a nod, " But he loved Katherine once too. How long will his love for you last, without a son."

 _I would only be unhappy if you ever stopped loving me._

 _London would have to melt into the Thames first._

* * *

 **A/N: So there we have it our newest Tudor baby is a little Princess Isobel. For those of you who might have thought that Anne and Henry's first born daughter would be Elizabeth, never fear as with all of my Tudor stories Elizabeth will be born on her historical birth date.**

 **As some of you guessed when I mentioned I had changed my plan slightly for this story, I did change the child that Anne gave birth to. In my original outline for the story I had her having a son first but I changed my mind when I realised that that would make things to easy for Anne and it didn't really fit in with my overall tone of this story.**

 **So now we have Isobel and I do hope that no one will be too disappointed by this, I promise you Anne supporters that I did not write out the son Anne was meant to have, I have simply changed his date of birth.**

 **Anyway the next chapter will be more action packed and will have a time jump of a few months.**

 **Please review and let me know what you all thought.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Once again I apologise for the delay in updating this story. However I do promise that along with this story, 'Her Majesty, the Marquess of Pembroke,' will also be updated today. I will then endeavour to update the rest of my stories by the end of this month.**

 **Originally I had planned on this chapter being a LOT longer but after careful consideration I realised that the chapter would be more enjoyable (and read better) at a shorter length. I also thought it would be fun to leave you all waiting with the cliff-hanger ;)**

 **This chapter covers some very big historical events, although I won't give anything away I will let you guys simply read and discover it all for yourselves.**

 **A huge thankyou as always to those who have stuck with my stories and with me. A special thanks to all those who have reviewed or placed this story or myself on their favourites/alerts lists.**

 **As always I own nothing. I will also say that some of the dialogue in this chapter has been taken from season 1 of the Tudors, on which this story is based.**

 **Chapter 5:**

* * *

 **22** **nd** **of January 1528**

 **Whitehall Palace**

 _ **Queen of England's Apartments**_

" You are absolutely certain Sir Thomas?" Katherine questioned desperately, and she cursed herself for the worrisome tone her voice had taken.

" Yes, Your Majesty," Thomas Moore responded thickly, nodding his head in confirmation, " I have just myself come from a meeting with the King, the Cardinal and the Duke of Suffolk."

" I see." Katherine murmured quietly not quite knowing what words to say to Moore's announcement.

" An announcement was made today to the Emperor at Burgos by both the English and French ambassadors."

" I suppose Sir Thomas, that such things were to be expected." Katherine put forward diplomatically.

She was a Spanish princess no longer, Spain was no longer her home England was and as England's Queen and the mother to its heir and therefore in times of war (as this had now become) her alliances must lay firmly with England.

Even if the thought of turning against her beloved nephew left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Things were not as they once were, and Katherine could not risk doing anything that would lead to the king's displeasure.

In the earlier years of her marriage, Henry would never have dared to upset her by declaring war against her family, and he had always been more than inclined to side with the Emperor when such conflicts had arisen between Spain and France throughout the years.

Yet now Katherine was no longer the only woman by the King's side, and it was no secret that Anne Boleyn favoured the French just as Katherine did the Spanish, and with Mary's recent betrothal to the French Dauphin and Wolsey's continual influence, such things as she had already said to Sir Thomas had been all but inevitable.

It would not do her well to dwell on such things, not with her position being so delicate.

There had been whispers after Isobel's birth that the King had been so displeased that he had wanted to find a way to annul his marriage to the Princess Consort. Katherine had never paid much mind to such rumours, but she had at least thought that Henry's feelings towards Anne Boleyn might cool off somewhat, after the enjoyment of their new child subsided somewhat and at least until she had given him the son she had promised. She thought perhaps that Henry might even take a mistress; it would have been the only circumstances she could think of where she would not be completely disappointed in her husband's unfaithfulness.

Yet he remained true to Anne in everyway. Katherine knew from her people that as soon as Anne had been able to resume her wifely duties that Henry had been in her bed every night and before that he had been in her bed anyway. He had not taken a mistress and instead of Isobel's birth causing some level of strain between the couple it had only served to strengthen their relationship. Henry was besotted with his daughter by Anne (as he had once been besotted by Mary) and he was thankful towards Anne for giving him such a _perfect princess._

Isobel (or Izzie as Mary had dubbed her) was an easy and pleasant child; even Katherine would not deny such things. In many ways Anne's daughter reminded her of her own at such an age, they both took after their father, a thing she was sure Anne was thankful for… Katherine knew she was.

With Henry's history in producing healthy children before Isobel's birth (Mary and the Fitzroy boy were the only healthy children to his name) it was imperative for Anne just as it had once been for Katherine for her child to look like a Tudor.

No doubt Henry thought that if his daughter by Anne was so pleasing for him, that a son by her would be even more so, and Katherine could not help but think that that was what was keeping Anne in their husbands good graces.

If she failed to give him a son soon then perhaps the cracks would begin to show.

For now though Katherine couldn't think of such things, for now she had to pretend to be uncaring towards the fact that Henry through picking the French King over her own nephew (and his through marriage) had once again reiterated the fact that he would always choose Anne over her.

Perhaps one day she would be able to deal with the fact, but for now the idea of being second in the King's heart still left her feeling cold inside.

This place, this country, her husband's court, none of it felt like home anymore.

* * *

 **30** **th** **of March 1528**

 **Whitehall Palace,**

 _ **Princess Consort of England's Apartments**_

Anne stared at the letter in her hands with saddened eyes, when England and France had formed an alliance against the emperor, she had known that many things would be effected but yet she had not thought that this would be one of them.

" What is that sweet sister?" George questioned over the top of his deck of cards, they had been in the middle of a game when Nan had bought the letter to her attention.

" It is a letter from the Duchess of Savoy," Anne replied trying to keep her voice even and calm, and not let her brother take note of the disappointment that was currently cursing through her body, " She is disappointed with me."

" Ah," George replied the sound rolling effortlessly off his tongue, " I don't know what she thinks you can do."

" Perhaps if I talked to Henry, maybe I could convince him to allow trade to continue between England and the Netherlands," Anne suggested hopefully. Margaret of Austria had given her, her start in this world, she had taken her under her guidance and seen Anne educated as befitted a Princess.

They had shared a close bond both during her time abroad and since Anne's departure, they exchanged letters often and Anne had always felt glad to count her as an ally.

" Don't be stupid Anne," George answered his voice almost teasing, " England is at war with the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands is apart of that Empire, and Margaret is Charles' aunt she would never go against him."

 _Katherine has,_ Anne thought but dare not say out loud, _Katherine had no choice in the matter, no doubt doing so had hurt her._

" Yes, but still our issue is not with the Netherlands and surely…."

" Anne," George interrupted his voice cutting and cold. She had never heard him speak to her like that before, " will you stop it? Things are not as they used to be, they are not as simple you must forget your old friends and alliances, you are the Princess Consort of _England_ and England alone, that is where your interests must lie."

" Yes, I know that but…."

" I said you are the Princess Consort of England for God's sake would you act like it."

It was no a usual thing for her to be shocked into silence, especially by her brother who more often than not focused on keeping her in good spirits. Such reprimands would usually come from her father or uncle, she and George had always been close, she had always fought with Mary more than she ever had with their brother.

Any retort she may have had to George's words however would have been immediately interrupted with her husband's entrance into her bedchamber.

" Sweetheart," Henry addressed with a soft smile and a small incline of his head, before turning his attentions on Anne's brother, "Lord Rochford, would you leave us please."

" Your Majesties," George answered with a nod of his head and a swift bow, before departing Anne's rooms as the King had requested. His deck of cards lay forgotten on Anne's table, _he would be disappointed by that,_ Anne thought, _he kept claiming he had a winning hand._

" He would have beaten you sweetheart," Henry stated turning both Anne and George's cards over with a lazy flick of the wrists, " Lucky I came to save you from such embarrassment."

" I had not expected you so early, Henry." Anne queried, it was a normal occurrence for her husband to visit her bedchamber every night, but the sun had not yet set and Anne was worried as to what that could mean.

" I have a proposition for you Anne," Henry responded with a smile, moving closer to his wife and wrapping his arms around her and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, " How would you like to travel to Eltham in the morning?"

At that Anne could not help but beam it felt and age since she had last seen her daughter, and although Isobel (at not even six months of age) would not doubt not remember the experience in the years to come, Anne would, to have her daughter raised by other women was not a fact that she was quite yet used to….truthfully she didn't know if she would ever grow used to such things, nor did she know if she wanted to.

" Oh Henry I would love to, I am sure Isobel would appreciate seeing us," Anne exclaimed happily, " And I am sure Mary would love seeing you as well."

It was important for her to maintain the image of being a good and loving stepmother, even if said stepdaughter was not exactly thrilled with Anne's presence in her life. Even if Mary was not willing to try with Anne it was important for Anne to maintain the appearance that she was always trying to maintain a good relationship for her marriages sake as well as her own daughters. For now Mary seemed to be quite pleased with her new sister, dubbing her Izzie, and according to their governess showering her with constant affection, and it was imperative that Henry's eldest daughter had a loving relationship with all of Anne's children.

If she loved them, she would be less inclined to one-day turn against them.

And for that to happen Anne needed to be accommodating to her unruly step-daughter, she could not give the girl a reason to one day turn against any of her current and future half-siblings, especially considering that the girl would one day become the Queen of France.

" Yes, I am sure she would," Henry responded with a smile, kissing Anne on her temple once again, " Do we have any news to bring with us to Eltham sweetheart?"

Anne could not help but shudder slightly at his words, it seemed now that he asked her such a question every night, and though he had yet to express his disappointment (to her) Anne could not help but worry as to his response.

She was not yet pregnant, but then it had not even been a year since Isobel's birth. They had been trying, as soon as she had been given leave to return to her wifely duties Henry had been an ever-present presence in her bed, yet still her womb remained empty.

For now she did not think he would push the matter to far, for now he was still enthralled by her and even more so with their daughter who proved to be a true credit to them. Yet Anne knew well enough that such enchantments would not last forever she need only look at her counterparts to know that.

Once Katherine and Mary had been the centre of Henry's world, despite Mary's sex Henry had never (in the early years of her life) shown disappointment in her or in Katherine. Yet time had shown that Mary had not been enough for Henry and in time Anne knew that her own daughter would no longer be considered enough for her father or for England. That time no doubt would also come quicker for Anne and Isobel seeing as Henry already had a daughter and had already proven that his one desire was to have a son to follow after him.

" No my love, not yet," Anne responded quietly her eyes downcast, " I am sorry."

" Don't be my love," Henry responded rubbing his hands gently against Anne's cheek, " these things will happen in time."

Despite his words and soothing action Anne thought she could detect an ounce of disappointment in her husbands voice, a tone that let her know that such a time would have to come quickly.

* * *

 **12th of June 1528**

 **Richmond Palace**

 _ **Privy Council Chambers**_

" My Lords, we must speak of this unrest throughout the country," Henry announced to his councillors staring long and hard on each of them. Wolsey had bought news of the unrest to him the night before and Henry despite being furious that his subjects would dare risk his wrath was also worried, his war with the Emperor was proving costly, as was his alliance with the French King.

He knew well enough that the unrest was being caused by the economic difficulties England had been facing due to the war forces, but he also knew that the Emperor was a powerful enemy to have, he wanted his French alliance, his eldest daughter remained promised to the Dauphin but perhaps it was time that his councillors devised a truce with the Emperor, he had another daughter now, perhaps Isobel could be used to create an alliance with Spain as Mary had been used with France.

His words and thoughts were further interrupted however by the sound of the chamber doors swinging open and the sight of Anne, out of breath and the skirts of her purple gown clutched tightly in her hands as she ran towards them.

" Your Majesty," His councillors all exclaimed in usion dropping into slight bows as they did so.

" My Lady," Henry grunted angrily, pulling Anne out his council chambers and into an empty adjourning room. Such conduct was beneath a woman of her standing and Henry had always thought that Anne had known how to conduct herself royally, just as Katherine always had, " I was in council."

" Yes, Your Majesty, I apologize, your majesty," Anne responded nodding her head slightly but Henry was not under the impression that she truly meant her words.

" Anne, you silly…."

" I have missed my bleeding," Anne announced happily interrupting her husbands reprimand, " I am with child."

At that Henry could do nothing more than stare at his wife in shock before taking her head in his hands and kissing her temple lightly, " Oh sweetheart."

" I just had to tell Your Majesty," Anne responded her smile staying firmly in place, " I am sorry I made you angry."

" I'm not angry," Henry promised kissing her again, " How could I be angry?"

At that Anne bought their faces together kissing Henry passionately, it was a son this time she was sure of it.

" Anne, listen to me," Henry commanded pulling their faces apart far to quickly for Anne's liking, " For the sake of our child please do not over excite yourself, go and lay down and I will come see you very very soon my beautiful wife."

" As your majesty wishes," Anne responded moving away from Henry before placing a hand on her stomach and curtsying slightly.

She carried a son. She had to be.

* * *

 **20th of June 1528**

 **Whitehall Palace**

 _ **Queen of England's Apartments**_

" He has given them a palace?" Katherine questioned in some shock.

" Yes, Your Majesty," Moore responded quietly his eyes slightly downcast, " The King expressed his liking of Hampton Court and Wolsey gifted it to him and the Princess almost immediately. He said it was a gift for Anne's recent pregnancy."

At that Katherine could not help but scrunch up her nose slightly. She had not been expecting Anne to fall pregnant so quickly after her daughters birth, Isobel was not yet one yet already Anne was expecting her second child. Katherine knew that the cardinal was no great friend to her, and he preferred Anne because of her French interests but for him to gift a palace solely upon Anne and Henry set her on edge.

It was a sign to the whole of England (and Europe as well) that Anne was the favoured wife of the King, and that Katherine despite being England Queen and the mother of the countries heir was much forgotten, as if Katherine did not already know such things.

Katherine's life was one of order and regularity, she did the same thing every day (except for those days were she took leave to visit Mary at Eltham), she woke, spent time with her ladies and prayed, she was not visited by her husband in fact she only ever saw Henry when it came time for them all to be present together for the sake of the court and to keep up appearances.

When he held her hand his touch was cold and distant, when he kissed her his actions were always chaste and lacking of passion. He sent her no news about the goings on of the court or the country, whatever she found out she found out from the Spanish ambassador or Sir Thomas, her ladies of course bought her some gossip but it was hard to know how much weight to put behind their words.

" A grand present indeed," Katherine responded quietly unable to keep the bite out of her tone, " especially if the Princess delivers another daughter." _Or god forbid a stillborn child._

Sir Thomas did nothing more than incline his head slightly at her words, he even more so then her needed to be more careful with his dealings. Henry could not rid himself of Katherine without a fight; it would not be so easy for him to dismiss a simple councillor despite what bond they once shared.

" The King has sent out terms of peace to the emperor," Moore said suddenly, no doubt he thought such words would bring Katherine some joy.

Once they would of, but Katherine knew well enough that Henry's actions had not been for her benefit. Henry had not seeked a truce with his wife's home country out of husbandly love and affection, he had not had a single thought to how his war with Katherine's nephew might have affected her, he had done this because the people of England were growing restless and wars were expensive.

What Henry did he did for himself, it was something she had been forced to learn.

" Will Mary's betrothal with the Dauphin remain in place?" Katherine questioned the last time Henry had sought an alliance with Spain, Mary's betrothal with France had been quickly replaced by a betrothal to the Emperor himself.

" Yes, Your Majesty," Moore responded nodding his head, " If a betrothal is needed to secure the alliance it will not be done through your daughter. Mary will be Queen of France Henry does not want that to change."

 _So he will offer them Isobel,_ Katherine thought, _or perhaps even the promise of an English prince in Anne's belly._

No doubt Anne would have wanted a match with a country that was more favoured towards her then Spain ever would be, and she could not help but wonder if Henry had informed her of his decision to promise her child to an enemy country, or if he had kept it secret as he had done with Mary's betrothal to the French Dauphin.

* * *

 **24th of June 1528**

 _ **Whitehall Palace**_

William Compton was dead, the sweat had taken him and his lady wife, his demise was sudden and unexpected and Henry's doctors had assured the King that his friend would have felt little pain in the end.

All Henry had said for days was 'poor William,' his friends demise had touched him deeply and Anne knew well enough that his loss would be felt for a while longer yet. The Compton's had passed at Warwickshire, a long way from London, yet Anne worried, they all worried, that it might make it's way to them even with the protection that the seclusion of Whitehall offered.

Anne especially was worried, in her condition it was hard not to be. The babe in her belly may very well seal her fate and Anne could not allow any hardship to befall it. Henry's doctors had advised them both to make sure that they fortified themselves against the sweat regardless, they gave them plasters to heal ulcers, unguents to cool inflammation and prevent itching, ointments that helped with digestion, and sooted dry skin, they had been given pills of Rasis (named for the Turk who invented them) which were said to be good against the sweat and finally they had been given an infusion which Dr Linacre assured them was their best method of prevention.

No doubt Katherine too had been given the same remedies, she was still the Queen of England after all, even if it were Anne who was carrying the future of England in her womb. Mary and Isobel were safe at Eltham for now, but Henry had decreed that if there were any inclining of the sweat heading in their direction that they would be moved immediately.

Anne knew that she had to keep her worry at bay, it would not do her or the baby well to be in a state of agitation, yet try as she might Anne could not fight the feeling that something bad was soon to fall upon them. Yet for now she had to suppress her fears, Henry had arranged an audience between themselves and the new French Ambassador an unofficial meeting before the man was welcomed to court formally, a meeting in which Katherine was not invited, and therefore which allowed Anne to build a rapport with the French Ambassador before he had even met Henry's other wife.

" Your Majesty," Jean de Bellay announced with a deep bow, " allow me to present to you my credentials as the bishop of Bayonne and the new French ambassador."

" I am happy to receive them," Henry replied with a smile, " And to be a friend and ally to your master, I send my thanks for his precious gifts."

At that Anne could not help but smile slightly, her hand moving without thought to her growing stomach. King Francis had recently gifted them many expensive and elaborate gifts to celebrate her pregnancy, it always made her glad to know that she could at least count France as her ally. Katherine may have had Spain and the Emperor but Anne was not without her own friends in high places.

" It is his pleasure, Your Highness."

Henry nodded simply before turning his attention to his wife, " Excellence, allow me to introduce my wife Anne, the Princess Consort of England."

" It is a pleasure, your majesty," Jean de Bellay responded, taking Anne's outstretched hand and kissing it lightly, " His eminence, Cardinal Wolsey, has tome me all about you. He did not however tell me how beautiful you are, for a Frenchman, that is a crime."

Anne laughed lightly at the ambassador's praise, such a response was of course expected, but that did not mean that the compliments were not appreciated. And Anne did feel rather beautiful, dressed in fetching black and white ensemble that perfectly pressed upon her stomach, showcasing her condition to all that laid eyes upon her.

" But Frenchmen tell every woman she is beautiful, is that not a crime too?" Anne responded with another laugh, it was important for her to be charming and witty, to be seen as the younger of Henry's wives, the more charismatic and interesting one. She could not appear to be a lifeless simpleton who smiled and nodded at every word that was thrown her way, " I have a gift for you."

With a wave of her hand the wolfhound they had purchased the ambassador was in her hands.

" For me?"

" For you sir," Anne answered handing over the wolfhound with a charming smile, " This dog is very fast really formidable."

" What's his name?" The ambassador questioned with his own charming smile, all Frenchmen it seemed has smiles full of charm.

" Wolsey," Anne answered thickly, before laughing loudly, a course of action both Henry and the ambassador followed.

" You ought to be glad, sweetheart," Henry told her some hours later when they were riding back into the gates of the palace, " the meeting went well, his excellence seemed to like you well."

Before Anne had the chance to respond to Henry's words she was overcome with a dreaded stink. It was vinegar, and that she knew could mean only one thing.

" What is that stink?" The French ambassador questioned loudly from behind them.

" It is vinegar, excellence." Anne heard her brother explain from behind her, but her eyes were focused in front of her to the groom that was running towards them.

" Your majesties, " The groom greeted with a stiff nod of his head, he was sweating…he looked afraid.

" What's happened?" Henry questioned and Anne could hear the worry in his tone. Henry was a mortal man just like the rest of them, and he feared that mortality more than anything else.

" There has been an outbreak of sweating sickness, three hundred deaths this day alone."

" Fetch Dr Linacre quickly, " Henry ordered before turning his attention on Anne, " Anne don't be afraid, George I want you to take your sister to her chambers, I will come see you soon…I cannot risk your health sweetheart."

Anne nodded with a small smile as Henry bought his lips against hers in a chaste kiss, before dismounting from his horse and following his groom quickly inside the palace walls.

" What about the Queen?" Anne heard Henry question somewhat panicked.

After all of his promises of love and fidelity, his assurance that she was the wife he cared for, the Queen in his heart…he still cared for Katherine.

And Anne doubted that would ever change.

* * *

 **26th of June 1528**

 **Whitehall Palace**

 _ **Princess Consort of England's Apartments**_

Anne was bored, more bored then she had ever been in her life. The sweat had come and it had taken many lives already and no doubt it would take many more. Herself, Henry and Katherine had all been confined to their rooms, and every person that was to be in attendance upon them was first checked before being allowed to enter their presence.

Thankfully, Isobel (and Mary) were still safe at Eltham. Anne did not want her daughter's health to be another matter she had to worry about. For now her focus had to lie solely on the child in her belly and his survival.

One of her maids was crying. Anne could hear her, despite the girl's best efforts to hide her tears. Anne didn't blame the girl, it was a dangerous time, she too was scared.

" Child, what is it?" Anne asked sweetly, waving the maid that had been brushing her hair away with a hand and turning to face her upset servant.

" Nothing madam," the girl responded breathlessly, " I just felt a little dizzy."

She was worried she had caught the sweat then, as they all were. Every ill feeling set everyone on edge in times such as these. It was to be expected.

" Oh come here," Anne called stretching her arms out in an effort to embrace the girl.

" No I still feel dizzy I…." She stopped short for only a second before her hysteria truly kicked in, " I've caught the sweat."

At that Anne laughed slightly in an effort to calm the girl down, " No gentle child, its just a headache no more than that." Slowly Anne moved next to her maid, being more than prepared to take the girl into her arms if needed.

No one at court had yet caught the sweat she would not have hysteria building for no reason.

" It's not," the girl exclaimed, her voice even more breathless, and Anne noticed that her hands where cold and sweaty, " I have pains in my stomach, yes isn't that a sign?"

Before Anne knew what was happening the girl was on the ground and knelt beside her still trying to calm her.

" How can you deny it?" The girl continued, she had begun to cry, " I am going to die."

" No, no," Anne muttered calmly, " your not going to die, no, listen to me your not going to die ok?"

Anne took the girl into her arms rubbing soothing circles into her back, but soon enough the girl was out of her arms screaming and withering in pain, and as Anne watched her she realized that the girl had not been mistaken.

She had the sweat, and would likely die soon.

What did that mean for Anne? For her child?

* * *

 _ **King of England's apartments**_

" My poor maid has this day caught the sweat and died," Henry read Anne's letter in a dethatched tone, praying with every part of him that her words weren't true. "I beg your majesty what shall I do?"

Already they had had limited contact since the sweat reached London. Now he wasn't even permitted to see her. She was his wife, the mother of his second daughter and carrying his child in her belly, but he was the King and his life was considered more important.

" I want to see her," Henry stated firmly, glaring at Wolsey sitting (far) across from him. _He needed to see her._

" I would council against that," Wolsey responded softly, clearly not wanting to upset his already irritated King, " any contact with an infected person or even those who have had contact with an infected person is dangerous and you are the King of England."

" Yes, Yes I know," Henry, answered loudly," But she is my wife, she is carrying my child...what if she…."

Henry stopped short, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence, as he struggled to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall.

" What if she dies?" Henry finished after some time.

To that Wolsey had no answer, "Gods," Henry muttered sighing deeply at the cardinal's silence.

Wolsey was right Henry could not risk his own health, not even for Anne and their child. She had to be moved, for her health and his own, she had to leave the palace and be moved to a place that had not yet been affected.

" Alright," Henry began, " tell her she must leave the palace, she must go with her father to Hever and by all means shut herself up there. I will send her infusions to fortify herself and the baby, and I will write to her daily."

At that Wolsey nodded his head stiffly, " And what of the Queen?"

Henry had yet to give Katherine any thought so preoccupied had he been with Anne's own news. With the sweat having already entered Anne's household it would be best if Katherine too were sent away….at least then he could tell Anne that it would not just be her leaving court.

" I will send the Queen and the Princesses Mary and Isobel to Ludlow," Henry answered, he just hoped that Anne understood that he couldn't send her there as well, " I pray to God they will be safe enough in Wales."

" And you, Your Majesty?" Wolsey questioned.

" I will shut myself up here," Henry answered stoically, his mind still filled with thoughts of Anne. _Why now? Why did such a tragedy have to befall them now, when everything was finally falling into place?_ " and keep the sweat at bay with every means."

At that Wolsey stood preparing himself to leave…would the cardinal now forsake the court? " If I may advise your majesty, to keep as few people around you as possible and that way you can reduce the risk of contamination."

" God bless us both." Henry ground out, his voice beginning to shake more and more.

" Indeed." Wolsey responded crossing himself.

* * *

 _ **28th of June 1528**_

 _Henry_ had sent her away. _Her husband_ had sent her away. _**The King**_ had sent her away.

She was his wife, the Princess Consort of England, the mother of his beloved youngest daughter and carrying his son in her belly, yet she still would never take precedence over the King's own health. Her maid, that poor young girl, that Anne had comforted and wrapped in her arms had been right, _she had caught the sweat and she had died a most horrible death._ Now the fear was that Anne herself had been contaminated and so she was sent to Hever, with her father (her brother was already there) where the sickness had not yet reached in the hope that it would be her saviour.

To be fair to Henry, it wasn't just her he had sent away. He had had Katherine and the girls sent to Ludlow, and half his court had been sent from the castle, _the less people around him the better._ If not for her maid, Anne most likely would have been sent to Ludlow as well, but just like Henry, Mary and Isobel were too important to risk contamination, they were his only _legitimate_ heirs. Yet Anne did not doubt that precautions had also been taken to preserve the life of Henry Fitzroy.

Just days ago no one had taken precedence over her, but now when death was in the picture, her true importance became clear. _She_ was replaceable. _Katherine was replaceable._ Their daughters were not. The King was not. So it was them who came first, even before the possibility of a son in her belly.

"How do you feel?" Her father asked from beside her. Anne could not help but wonder how comfortable he felt seated next to her on such a long journey. If she had caught the sweat (as they all feared) then no doubt the thought would be that he would be next.

" I feel fine Papa," Anne responded trying her best to smile and ignore the uneasiness that was growing in her stomach. She _was_ pregnant; no doubt that was the cause.

" And the baby?" Thomas Boleyn questioned, and Anne thought his tone sounded more worried when asking about his unborn grandchild then it had for his daughter.

" He is well Papa," Anne answered her hand automatically going to her bump as she spoke. _He had to be well._

" You're sure?" Thomas persisted, his eyes analysing his daughter's every movement and expression.

At that Anne turned her head furiously, trying with every fibre of her being to ignore the dizziness that was beginning to seep into her body. " What are you saying?" Anne questioned, ignoring the hysterical tone her voice had suddenly take. _Just like her maid,_ " because of my maid I am certain to be contaminated?"

" No, of course not," Thomas responded, but Anne could hardly hear him, the air in the carriage was growing thin, _surely he could feel it too, "_ What is it?"

His query only caused her distress to grow, as she realized it was only her that was struggling to breathe, " I can't breathe."

" What?" _Her dress was growing tighter…perhaps if she loosened it,_ " What is it? What's wrong?"

 _Had she not just told him?_ " I can't breathe. Stop the carriage," Anne ordered her voice breathless, when her father just continued to look at her dumb struck she repeated her words, only louder, " I can't breathe, stop the carriage."

Thomas continued to watch his struggling daughter in horror, his hand automatically moving to hit the top of the carriage, " Halt….stop the coach."

As soon as the carriage had ceased it's movement and all but leaped out of it hoping and praying with every fibre of her being that the fresh air would relive her symptoms.

" Anne," She could vaguely hear her father's voice behind her, but it was nothing more than empty noise, " drive on….Anne."

The air was doing nothing for her; it was a thought that sent her into hysterics. She had caught the sweat; nothing could be done for her now.

She and the baby they were doomed.

* * *

 **30th of June 1528**

 **Whitehall Palace**

 _ **King of England's apartments**_

 _The Princess Anne is also sick, but still survives._ Wolsey's words repeated over and over in his head, _Anne had caught the sweat_ , and Henry knew well enough what that meant. _His wife may die….and their child would perish with her._

" Dr Linacre," Henry summoned, his voice loud and desperate. _She could not die._

" Yes, Your Majesty." Linacre answered, coming before him within seconds of being called.

" Princess Anne is ill," Henry explained, Wolsey's letter clutched tightly in his hand, " go at once to Hever castle and for the love of God save her life."

Immediately he could tell that Linacre was uneasy at such a request, but the good doctor did not protest, he knew as well as any the importance of Anne's life for Henry and for England.

" Oh Anne," Henry murmured, pulling out Wolsey's letter once more and rereading it, hoping that somehow the words on the page would somehow change.

 _She could not die. They could not die._

* * *

 **A/N: So there you have it chapter 5, I promised you all it would be a big and important one and I hope I didn't disappoint. Please review to let me know what you thought.**

 **Firstly we had England and France uniting against the Emperor. Which had far reaching consequences for both of Henry's wives, with Katherine being forced to choose England and Henry over her home country and nephew, and Anne realizing that a life as England's consort was not easy. England's conflict with Spain also had an effect upon her relationship with the Duchess of Savoy.**

 **Ultimately the cost of the war and siding with France was too much of a burden to bear, with the people beginning to grow restless as taxes grow higher, Henry realized that perhaps it was time to make alliances with the Emperor as well as King Francis, this time using one of his children with Anne as bargaining tools.**

 **That's right the Princess Consort is pregnant once again, not even a year after Princess Isobel's birth. As a gift, Wolsey gives the couple Hampton Court.**

 **Celebrations and negotiations with the emperor are short lived however as England is struck with the sweating sickness.**

 **William Compton is dead, and Anne and her child are in grave danger.**

 **Once again I thank you all for your continued support and ask that you leave a review to let me know your thoughts and hopes for the next chapter, which will be another big and important one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/: Hi All! I am sorry to have kept you waiting for this chapter, as usual life got in the way, this is a long and important chapter though so I do hope you all enjoy it. I also hope to be updating An act of Fate in the coming weeks, which will also be a long and important chapter. Hopefully my other stories will co-operate too and ill have them updated in the coming months.**

 **Anyway, I won't blab for too much. As always I thank you all for your support and encouragement it keeps me motivated and writing. A special thanks to everyone that has reviewed or placed myself or the story on their favourites/alert lists. I really do appreciate it.**

 **As always I own nothing.**

 **Please read, review and enjoy.**

 **Chapter 6:**

* * *

 **6th of July 1528**

 _ **Hever Castle**_

 _In my opinion, there is no hope,_ Anne had heard the words muttered by the King's own physician outside her bedroom door just the day before, _the vital signs of life are weak and worsening. The priest should attend her now, in extremis. I'm very_ _sorry._

He would have written to her husband, the king, Dr Linacre would have told Henry that Anne and their child, who still clung desperately to life in her belly, would soon die. There had been no hope for either of them. Isobel, her dear darling daughter Izzie, would be raised without knowing her mothers love, and her and the child in her belly would be quickly forgotten. Perhaps Henry would take another woman as his princess consort in time and she would give him a son to one-day take the throne.

The sweat would take her and her baby and Anne would be remembered only as the mother of the king's second daughter and perhaps the people of England would say that she deserved the death that had come for her because of the ills she had bought against Katherine and the Princess Mary. She had gone to bed the night before plagued by such thoughts, of visions of her husband moving on from her death to another, she had slept thinking that she would not wake in the morning, that she would never see her husband and daughter again.

But she had not died. The sweat had not taken her; there had been hope after all. When George had found her he had almost fainted to see her sitting up in her bed, with a hand cradled around her big belly.

" Papa," Anne could hear George calling from outside her bedchamber, " come and see her. Get the master."

" My Lord, my Lord!"

" Papa, come quickly."

" George?" Anne heard her father question his voice taking on a hopeful tone. Her father too had given up all hope of her survival.

Her father and brother where at the door of her bedchamber within seconds, and immediately her father saw the change in her, the colour that had returned to her face, the alertness in her eyes, and the small smile on her lips.

"Praise be to God," Thomas Boleyn muttered kneeling at her daughters side and taking her hands into his own and for the first time in days Anne did not flinch away from human contact, " You know what you have done child? You have risen from the dead. Now you can see the King again, it can be just as before."

For a moment Anne could not help but wonder if her father was so happy at her recovery because she was his daughter or because her survival meant that she was still the Princess Consort of England and he had the chance of being the grandfather of the next King of England.

" The child Anne? Does he still live?" Perhaps he cared for both, Anne thought hopefully, her life as his daughter and her future as the wife of the King of England.

" Yes, Papa," Anne answered certainly, the babe kicking strongly in her stomach almost as if in confirmation to her words.

" You must write to the King and inform him of this miracle."

 _A miracle,_ Anne thought her smile widening slightly, _her survival, her babies survival was nothing short of a miracle, no one could question her marriage to the King after this, nor her children right to the succession._

* * *

 **12th of July 1528**

 _ **Hever Castle**_

Henry rode with much haste, without tact or care for anything other than reaching his beloved. He rode alone having left his entourage behind him in his desire to meet with Anne as soon as he could, and when he saw her, seated on a hill in the gardens outside of Heaver with only a maid and her own horse for company, his heart skipped a beat.

She had survived the sweat indeed. The letters he had received of her survival (so soon after he had heard of her certain doom) had not been untrue or exaggerated to ease his troubled mind. His wife's survival was nothing short of a miracle and a blessing to their marriage.

Anne was dressed in a simple riding habit, her hair covered in a black veil and her stomach where their unborn child still thrived despite all that had happened.

Within seconds they were in each other's arms, kissing each other with passion and frantic actions, it was an action of love and relief and Henry endeavoured to kiss and touch every part of his wife's face to ensure himself that she was still with him after all.

" Thank you, Thank you God," Henry murmured as he held Anne close in his arms before leaning down for another kiss.

In sickness or in health he would never leave her side again.

* * *

 **16th of July 1528**

 _ **Ludlow Castle, Wales**_

Katherine was dressed in a gown of black velvet and golden lace, her dark hair hidden behind a Spanish hood. She was seated quietly in the nursery at Ludlow, watching as Mary played easily with Isobel, when one of her ladies brought her a letter bearing her husband's seal.

She knew well enough that the letter would bring her either news of Anne's survival or of her death. She had known of Anne's illness since her departure from court, and news had only continued to come to Katherine expressing the growing severity of the Princess Consort's illness. The thought, Katherine knew, was that Anne would be unlikely to survive, it seemed as if everyone in England was waiting to hear of the outcome, Katherine especially. She would never pray for Anne's death, to do so would be a sin against God, but even more so it would be to wish for a child to be raised without ever knowing their own mothers love, and as a mother herself Katherine could never wish for such a thing. Despite Anne's faults, despite Katherine's personal feelings towards her, she had no ill will for young Isobel (who was a charming and pleasant child) nor even towards the child Anne carried in her belly.

Katherine did not doubt that her supporters would be praying for Anne's death but she would have no part in such a thing. Anne's death would bring her no joy or success, Katherine wanted no part in it and she could not wish for it. With Anne dead, Katherine would once again be the King's only wife she would not have to share the position and with Anne having only birthed Isobel in her short time as Princess Consort it would mean that Mary remained the heir presumptive to the throne, but the Pope had allowed Henry to take a second wife once, no doubt, to keep the peace, he would do so again.

Henry would mourn Anne. He would make sure that little Isobel would grow up thinking of her mother as a saint, but he would not mourn forever. His desire for a son was too great for even that. At least with Anne alive Katherine knew what to expect, anything else could be a danger to her and to Mary.

Henry had little love left in him for her, there was no lust in their dealings anymore, he cared for her only because of the decades they had shared together, the children they had lost and the daughter they had raised, the man she had married she saw only in glimpses, and too often she saw him only in his dealings with Anne and his children. Who knew what the loss of Anne might do to him, Katherine did not dare think of it, yet when she thought back to the last time she had seen the King she could not help but shudder at the thought that the loss of Anne would indeed turn the King into a shadow of the man he once was.

" _I've come to say goodbye," As always he was cool and indifferent towards her and just by looking at him Katherine had known that his mind had been elsewhere._

" _Are you pleased to send me away?" Katherine had all but ground out her words, at the time she had thought that he had sent her away for one reason only, and used the sweat as an excuse to be rid of her, in an act that to everyone else would seem to be nothing more than a husbands concern for his wife and Queen, " You do not want to see your daughters….You send me away so that you can be alone with her….so that the two of you can rule the court without…."_

" _No," Henry had responded looking very much like a man who had been broken by some unspeakable tragedy, " The Princess Consort is going to Hever….One of her maids died of the sweat and Anne….Anne had some contact with her."_

" _Your fear of the sweat is greater than you infatuation with her? For the hope that the child she carries in her belly is a son?"_

 _It had all made sense to her then, why Katherine and the girls were being moved to Ludlow and Anne was not. Anne may have been the king's wife and the proclaimed Princess Consort of England but her life would always come second to that of the King and his heirs. Even if those heirs were only girls. The child she carried could not save even her from Henry's fears of her own morality._

" _You speak as if you wish her ill?" He had turned on her in seconds, his nostrils flaring in his anger, but Katherine knew more than anything that Henry's reaction was one of fear, " As if you wish my son ill?"_

 _He was afraid of losing Anne and their baby, and Katherine had had to fight back tears at the thought._

 _Immediately Katherine had stepped away from him and looked towards the ground, she had been to bold, she had spoken without any thought towards the consequences and with Henry fearing for Anne's health that was a risk she could not afford to take, " No of course not."_

" _You should be glad Katherine, that I still love you enough to want to save your life," Henry had answered his temper calmed slightly, " Now do as I command, and go to Wales."_

" _When you speak like that my love, you act as though I had the plague, as if your love for me were a plague."_

" _I shall write to you," He had ignored her words completely, taking her hands in his and kissing her chastely on the cheek, " Tell my daughters that their father, the king, sends his love and devotion."_

Anne's death and the resulting death of the child she carried would destroy Henry and any trace of the husband she had once known.

Katherine had had to read Henry's letter three times to be certain of it's contents. Anne had survived, when most had already thought of her as dead.

" God be praised ladies," Katherine announced loudly, so that all in the royal nursery could her hear, still she was the Queen of England and after decades on the throne Katherine knew to remember that there were eyes and ears upon her at all times, even here in her daughters nursery. She could not allow anyone to report that she was unhappy to hear of Anne's survival, "Her Majesty, the Princess Consort, has survived her illness. We must all pray for her life and the life and continued survival of the child she carries."

Katherine was met with a chorus of "Amen's," and " Thanks be to God's," from her (and the girls) attendants and she couldn't help but be thankful for them. No one would be able to question her conduct in this matter or that of any of her own supporters.

" Did you hear that Izzie?" Katherine heard her daughter question her younger sister, " Your Mama and our little brother or sister are going to be just fine."

At not even one Katherine doubted that Isobel understood her sisters words in the slightest nor did she think that the girl had even the slightest of ideas that her mother had been in any danger, yet still obedient to her older sister, Isobel lifted her two chubby arms in the air and exclaimed " Mama," much to the delight of those present in the nursery.

Mary's conduct too could not be questioned, and of that Katherine was most thankful.

* * *

 **27th of July 1528**

 _ **Richmond Palace**_

Anne's survival should have been the end of it, for Henry nothing else had mattered, Anne had survived and so the sweating sickness was abated. The idea of more deaths occurring, especially those that may have had some effect upon him, had never once entered his mind since her had learnt of Anne's survival so consumed was he by his wife and his unborn child.

The sweating sickness had not finished its work and now Henry had to inform his son, his only living son (illegitimate though the boy was), that the boy's mother had succumbed to the illness that had now devastated much of the country.

Henry had loved Bessie for many years and her loss had hit him hard, not because he was still in love with her but because of the past they had once shared and for the son they both desperately loved. Hal was just a little boy, not yet ten, how was Henry meant to tell him that he would never see his mother again…. how would the boy even begin to understand and comprehend her death.

* * *

 **18th of October 1528**

 _ **Richmond Palace**_

The sweating sickness had killed thousands; men, women and children had all succumbed and with such an illness it had not matter whether a person was common born or a member of the nobility.

Masses had been said and bodies had been buried and yet life continued as it always did and Anne at the very centre and heart of the royal court needed to forget the ordeal that had almost killed her and her child and return to her duties as Henry's consort as if no great tragedy had ever befallen them or their country.

She knew people labelled her survival as a miracle, she also knew that the news of her survival had warmed the commons to her marriage to the King more importantly she knew that if her child was a boy (as she knew in her heart he was) it would be further proof to the whole of Europe that her marriage to the King was blessed by God and not simply the result of a Popes cowardice.

It had been easier than she would have thought to return to her normal life and duties. There was no point in her dwelling on all that could have happened, there was no point in her thinking about the fact that she almost left Isobel motherless just as poor Henry Fitzroy had been left, nor was there any point in wondering what Henry would have done had she and their baby died, it was all pointless. She lived, she beat death, it would be an insult if she did anything other than live her life to its fullest potential now.

And so Anne did as she had always done since her tenure as Princess Consort begun, she dressed fashionably, danced gaily, and spoke with all the wit and charm she pocessed all the while cultivating the favour of Henry's courtiers.

Dressed in a gown of deep purple and golden thread Anne knew she looked the part of royalty, and it only helped her further that her dress hung to the curve of her belly perfectly.

" Princess Anne," Thomas Cromwell, a great favourite of her family and now a member of Wolsey's household (at Anne's request) greeted her with a low bow.

" Master Cromwell," Anne answered giving him her hand to kiss, " Do you have a message from the King?"

" No," Cromwell answered gesturing for Anne to move to the side ever so slightly so that they were out of earshot from the rest of the court, " I think we understand each other, your majesty, and a mutual friend, a Mr Fish, now living in exile in Holland has sent me a gift for you."

" What is it, Master Cromwell?" Anne questioned slightly breathless from nerves. Anything he was giving her in a secret could be a dangerous gift, and in her position and condition Anne could let nothing affect her reputation nor standing in her husbands favour.

" The obedience of the Christian Man by William Tyndale," Cromwell answered his voice low as he placed a book, wrapped in brown paper and thread into her hand, immediately Anne bought the book to her chest not wanting anyone to see it, " it contains many good criticisms of the papacy and of the arrogance and abuses of priests. I believe you will find it most illuminating, but always and ever be cautions as to which you show this, you must know it might be accounted heresy even to possess it. And Wolsey is still keen enough to prosecute heretics, as we are called, who embrace the true religion."

At his words Anne felt her stomach drop. Her family were reformers, a fact that few people knew of, Anne herself did believe that there was corruption in the church and she believed that the Pope had powers beyond his vocation. However she was not a Lutheran, nor where the members of her family, she believed change was needed in England especially, and she was determined to bring such matters to Henry's attention once she was delivered of a healthy son. Cromwell's rash actions had now put her, the Princess Consort of England, in danger of being labelled a heretic.

She needed to be careful in how she went forward in this matter, now and always.

" I will, " Anne answered giving Cromwell her hand to kiss once again, " And God bless you, Master Cromwell."

* * *

 **December 27th 1528**

 _ **Richmond Palace**_

Anne's confinement had been long and tiring, mostly due to the fact that while the rest of the court were busy celebrating the Christmas festivities, she was locked away in a darkened room with little company other than her ladies.

Henry visited her, of course, from him she received daily visits in the morning and evenings, the rules his grandmother had once strictly given in regards to a Queen's confinements being solely the business of women were forgotten to him, as they had been when she was carrying Isobel. Her father and brother visited as well, albeit less frequently then her husband. All of them she knew were trying to make the weeks less lonesome for her, assuring her that she had not been forgotten, and there had been no whisperings of Henry taking a mistress during the time (not that she had truly given thought as to why he would), yet still Anne couldn't shake the feeling that while she was enduring her confinement and the last months of her pregnancy in seclusion, Katherine was once again at the centre of the court, as if it were as it used to be with she England sonly consort.

Their daughters too were at court, like Henry, Isobel came into her rooms daily, chattering away, mostly, in words only she could understand, yet her presence gave light to Anne's dark filled days and every time she laid eyes on her daughter she was awed by her. Her little Izzie was beautiful and charming, and Anne had no doubt that she would grow into a fine lady. Yet her daughter was only one, the Princess Mary on the other hand was soon to be thirteen, and so while Isobel spent most of her time in the nursery with little Hal Fitzroy, Mary was constantly at the side of her mother, enjoying the court and the Christmas celebrations in ways that her half siblings could not.

Katherine and Mary were at the courts centre again and while Anne tried not to she could not help but feel fearful and resentful of the fact. No one could be allowed to forget her existence, or that of her daughters, yet in confinement, she felt very much forgotten by the world outside of her immediate family and ladies.

 _That would soon end,_ Anne thought as another contraction assaulted her body "Argh," her son would soon be delivered into the world; _let them try to forget her then._

" Just one more push, my lady," the midwife called from between Anne's legs, " I can see the head."

 _At last,_ Anne sighed, preparing her body to push again. This labour had been longer and more painful than that of Isobel's and Anne could not help but think how funny it was that in her happiness over her daughter she had forgotten the pains that had come with bringing her into the world. She did not think she would forget so easily again.

" Argh," Anne cried again, grasping her sisters and Nan Saville's hands more firmly as she pushed her child in the world.

Anne's efforts were met with an infant's loud wail and immediately Anne felt relief. She had birthed another live child; surely no one could dare question the sanctity of her marriage now.

" It is a son, Your Majesty," the midwife exclaimed happily, clearly pleased that she had pulled the king's first legitimate son into the world, " A healthy and bony prince."

" A boy?" Anne questioned breathless, using all of her energy to look up at the wailing infant the midwife was holding up for her inspection. He was a boy indeed. She had a son; she had given the king a healthy and legitimate son.

Anne had not failed, not this time.

" You've done it Annie," Mary exclaimed next to her, just as delighted as Anne herself at the birth of her nephew.

" Give him to me," Anne ordered, watching as her ladies and the midwife washed and wrapped her son.

He was a beautiful boy, _the perfect mix of his parents,_ whereas Isobel had closely resembled her father, their new little son had bits of both if his parents in his features, so much so that it would be hard to say who he resembled more. Her boy had dark hair like his father, with Anne's eyes and colouring and Henry's nose and mouth, he was a long and robust child, no doubt he would be tall and strong like his Tudor ancestors. He was a perfect little creature and Anne would never let any harm come to him.

" Inform the king of the birth of his son," Anne exclaimed, " And have the bells rung at once."

Unlike when Isobel was born no one dared question her order.

* * *

Henry had all but raced into Anne's bedchamber when the news of his son's birth had been delivered to him. Yet it was not until the boy, his newborn son, was placed into his waiting arms, that it all became real.

He had a son. A healthy and legitimate heir at last; and it was all thanks to Anne.

As Henry stared at the boys face he could not help but think of how perfect he was. He was a heavy baby (a sign of his health) with long limbs and a hearty set of lungs. And of course he was a good-looking babe, blue eyed and dark haired, a perfect blend of his two handsome parents.

Gently Henry kissed his sons cheek, before smiling widely as the baby looked up at him with alert eyes, as if already he knew who Henry was.

" You did it, my love," Henry praised, turning his attention from the baby to Anne. To him she had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment, " We have our son."

"I promised didn't I?" Anne answered with a tired smile. His wife had spent many hours labouring to bring their son into the world, yet not once did she complain to him of her exhaustion, like him she was too enthralled with their boy to care.

Truthfully Henry could not believe the fortune that had recently befallen him, Anne had survived the sweating sickness when most people had already believed her survival to be a lost cause and now they had a strong and healthy son, as well as their daughter of course, his sons birth would not change his love for either of his daughters, but surely this, the birth of this precious little jewel was proof enough that his marriage to Anne was indeed valid and blessed by God.

Was it not also a sign then that his marriage to Katherine was a sin against God and man? Katherine had fallen pregnant to him seven times and in those seven times she had delivered three stillborn daughters, two stillborn sons, a son who had lived no more than fifty two days, and Mary the only one of their children to survive infancy. Yet Bessie Blount had given him a healthy and thriving son in little Henry Fitzroy (illegitimate though he may be), and Anne in such a short time since they had been wed had given him a healthy and beautiful daughter and now a strong and bony son.

He had married his brothers widow, and despite Katherine's protests, now more than ever he believed that Arthurs marriage had been consummated and as a result he had been living and continued to live in sin. Perhaps now it would be clear that his desire to annul his marriage to Katherine had not been done to appease his lusts, legally she was not his wife, surely this alone was proof enough.

Yet still the Pope would refuse to grant the annulment he had allowed Henry to take a second wife in Anne, the Pope (coward that he was) would think that enough to appease the English king and for the most part it did. Henry and Anne were happy, more children would follow their first two and already the people of England felt warmer and warmer towards their marriage, yet Katherine too was still bound to them, forever entrapping him in a life of sin and risking the damnation of his soul and that of those closest to him.

Was he just meant to let such a thing continue because the Pope was too much of a coward?

" What shall we name him?" Anne questioned, breaking him from his musings with her light tone, clearly she had no idea where his thoughts had turned to and Henry was glad for such a fact, now was not the time to be thinking of such matters.

He had a little Duke of Cornwall at last. That was all he should be thinking of.

When Henry had first married Katherine he had always thought to name their first son Henry and they had had a Henry, Duke of Cornwall, the New Years Prince, the boys that had come after him would have been Henry's as well….had they lived….and of course Bessie's boy was Henry too although that hadn't been his decision Bessie (thinking to please him) had named their boy in his honour she never would have known the pain that name, given to a little Tudor boy so like his first boy, had resulted in. More often than not Henry called his son Hal most others how now followed suit.

And so Henry was out of the question. There would not be another Henry, Duke of Cornwall; this little boy would not be King Henry IX.

" I had thought of Edward," Henry put forward, it was well known that he favoured the name of his maternal grandfather, he and Anne had even discussed the name before and both had agreed to their liking of it, yet immediately Anne scrunched up her nose at the notion.

" He's not an Edward," Anne put forward firmly causing Henry to look down at the bundle in his arms in concentration and despite himself he found he agreed with his wife. The name did not suit him; their son was not an Edward.

" What about Charles?" Henry asked naming another name they had discussed during Anne's two pregnancies, but again Anne scrunched up her nose, " George then? Or Thomas perhaps?"

Despite the fact that such names would honour key members of Anne's family she still refused them, " He needs his own name….like Isobel did."

Slightly frustrated and more than a bit amused Henry decided to put the decision in Anne's hands, " Do you have any ideas sweetheart?"

For a moment Anne did nothing before motioning for Henry to place the babe in her arms and for a few minutes she did nothing more than stare at their boy obviously thinking of names and whether or not they suited him.

" Perhaps, we should call him John?" Anne questioned eventually, putting the decision back in his hands.

It was a fine name, a strong name, a name with both biblical and royal meaning, a name worthy of the future Prince of Wales.

" John," Henry repeated rolling the name on his tongue for good measure, " John, yes I like it well."

* * *

When Katherine reached the royal nursery her daughter was already gone, as was little Isobel and Lady Salisbury, and immediately she knew that she was too late, someone else had got there before her.

Katherine had lingered in her grief and sadness for too long, instead of focusing on getting to her daughter once the news had been bought to her, she had focused on her own sorrow and despair, for Anne Boleyn had birthed a son for the king and it would be her son, instead of Katherine's daughter that one day ruled England.

She should have gone to Mary as soon as the news had broke but she hadn't and now no doubt someone else would have told her daughter about the birth of the long awaited prince. Katherine just prayed that the news was at least broken to her gently.

While it was true that Mary had warmed to little Isobel immediately and had learnt to curb her tongue in regards to the Princess Consort, there was still a chance that Mary would react with jealously to the news of her half-brothers birth and that was something the King could not be allowed to see or hear of.

" Where is the Princess Mary?" Katherine questioned one of the maids present in the apartments of the nursery.

" Forgive me, Your Majesty, I thought you had been sent word," The maid responded stumbling through a curtsey, " The King and Princess Anne requested the presence of the Princesses so that they might meet their new brother... Prince John."

At that Katherine blanched slightly, Anne had only just given birth, it was to be expected really that the mention of a newborn prince would be foreign and uncomfortable for her. Of course, despite her discomfort, Katherine had not failed to notice that the maid had given the Princess Consort's son a name. John. It was not a name she had been expecting.

Henry and Edward. Whenever Katherine had found herself pregnant throughout the course of their marriage those had been the names she and Henry had always talked about for a boy, and for a time, they had had a little Prince Henry, she had thought perhaps that Anne would have one as well.

No doubt Anne had wanted to avoid the name, given Katherine's history and the fact that Bessie Howard's bastard had been named Henry as well. And a part of Katherine was glad for it, for the fact that Anne had chosen such an uncommon name for her son, it meant that her son would not forgotten or replaced, people would not look at Anne's John and forget that there had been a Prince Henry before him.

Of course she shouldn't be thinking of such things. To do so only left her with feelings of pain and anger that Anne had succeeded where she had failed, anger that God would will Anne's child to the throne of England and not her own, such thoughts were not becoming of a Queen, and it would not do we her well to let her enemies (nor even her supporters) know the true pain that her counterparts success had had upon her.

The sounds of the bells ringing loudly alerted Katherine to the fact that she had been standing in the royal nursery too long. Mary would not be returning any time soon, it would be best for Katherine to return to her apartments and have prayers ordered for the new Duke of Cornwall.

She would not visit Anne's rooms as she had when the Princess consort had birthed Isobel. The birth of a daughter had been easier on her, it was always going to have been easier for her….she doubted very much that her absence would be noted or even missed.

Katherine was the Queen of England yet another woman's son would one day be king.

* * *

 **5th of January 1528**

 **Royal Chapel**

 _ **Richmond Palace**_

As the king's favourite sister, Mary had expected to be asked to act as her nephew's godmother. Whatever had gone between them from her marriage to King Louis and her subsequent remarriage to Charles to his own marital dramas with Katherine and now Anne, their fondness for one another had never disappeared and as such she was the sister he had chosen to honour now that he had a legitimate son and heir.

Margaret, of course had not been completely forgotten in Scotland, she had been named as Isobel's godmother, yet of course it was more prestigious and important to be asked to be Godmother to a Prince, and Mary was more than pleased to have been chosen for the role.

She held no ideas that the Princess Consort would be happy with such a choice, Anne had decided upon the Duchess of Savoy, Margaret of Austria to act as John's second Godmother but of course the Duchess of Savoy would not be attending the Prince's christening and as such the focus would be solely on Mary… as it used to be before Anne Boleyn made her mark on Henry's court.

Mary was pleased with neither Henry's decision to take a second wife or his choice that his Princess Consort be Anne Boleyn, a commoner without tact or class. It was well known at court that Henry's favoured sister and his favoured wife were not close, Mary supported and loved Katherine, therefore she could never see Anne Boleyn as her sister as she did the Queen, yet still they managed to be civil with one another, it took all of Mary's strength, but they managed it. For the sake of her relationship with her brother and the love she held for (all of) her nieces and nephews, Mary had no other choice.

She would never treat Anne's children any different than she did Katherine's daughter, just as she had never treated little Hal any different, despite his bastard status, she would never blame the children for the faults of their parents.

Little John's christening was to be held in the chapel royal at Richmond, and by the looks of it, it would be a lavish ceremony, her brother had spared no expense for his long awaited son. Since his birth, fires had been lit in the streets of London and church bells had been ringing across England for days now in celebration, for England finally had an heir in Prince John, the future King John II.

Already there had been a procession from the Princess Consort's apartments to the chapel. As John's godmother, Mary had been tasked with holding her nephew, her eldest niece, Mary, bore the chrisom cloth, while little Isobel was carried into the chapel by her grandfather. Isobel was little more than a babe herself, yet Anne had been adamant that her daughter would not be left out of the festivities.

The French king, Francis, and Thomas Howard, The Duke of Norfolk had been chosen as John's Godfathers. And Mary could not help but wonder if Thomas Wolsey felt somewhat slighted that he had been chosen as a Godfather for only the King's bastard son and second born daughter instead of the Duke of Cornwall, especially given all that he had done to arrange for Anne Boleyn's elevation. Her own husband had also been overlooked for the role of Godfather in favour of Anne's uncle, but like Wolsey, Charles had already acted as Godfather for Isobel, no doubt Henry had thought it best to appease Anne and her family by honouring the Howards.

Mary had carried her nephew under a canopy of cloth of gold, which was held on either side by her husband and George Boleyn. William FitzAlan, the Earl of Arundel had been tasked with carrying the train of the Prince's robe with help from Lord William Howard, another canopy of cloth of gold had been carried above them by Sir Edward Neville, Sir John Wallop Richard Long and Anthony Knivert. In order to make the whole procession grander, Henry had ordered that torchbearers surround the canopies.

The procession into the royal chapel had been large, after the Prince's entourage had come the Lords and Ladies of the court (In order of precedence) as the acknowledged son of the King and a Duke twice over little Hal Fitzroy had led the courtiers into the chapel and now they all waited as Cardinal Wolsey performed the baptismal rites in front of what, Mary estimated to have been three to four hundred people. Yet there was only one face that held her focus in the crowd.

The Queen was in attendance. And though she hadn't (and no doubt would not) take part in the procession her presence had been noted and would not doubt be discussed and gossiped about in the coming days. Neither Henry or Anne (who had of course yet to be churched) were attending their sons christening (as was the tradition with royalty) as such Katherine was the senior member of the royal family at the chapel and she would have to be accorded all the rights that her station commanded.

Whether she attended the christening or not the Queen's choice would have been condemned, in this instance Katherine was not in a situation she could win. If she had of decided not to attend her enemies (and Henry and Anne no doubt) would have said that she refused out of fear and cowardice, while in attending Katherine had ensured that no one would be able to label her a coward she had also ensured that comparisons would be made. Mary knew well enough that her sister-in-law did not want herself or her daughter to slip away into obscurity while Anne and her own were at the centre of England and court life. But such efforts only left for comparisons between the two royal wives and their children.

For all her years of marriage to the King, through all the pregnancies, Katherine had managed to birth only one healthy child. Anne, still newly married (and many years younger then the Queen) had already birthed two healthy children, and one of them a healthy son. As such the Princess Consort (and her marriage to the King) was being praised throughout England, she had become the peoples Princess where once Katherine was labelled the Queen of hearts. As long as John lived, as long as Anne continued to bear living children, Henry would favour her and England would too.

For Mary, who had herself birthed four children (although only three still reminaed to her and Charles), it was hard not to think that the fuss that was being made of Anne was much exaggerated. Breeding children was something that had been done since the beginning of time, it required no skill only luck, yet of course she could never say something like that to Katherine, for it would not ease her mind, no doubt the Queen would have done anything o have been able to have just one healthy son.

It felt like an eternity before Wolsey had finished, but when he had, when little John had yelped at the Holy water touching his skin, when all of the torches were lit and the Garter King of Arms had proclaimed her nephew as " Prince John, Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester," and when the Te Deum was sung, and spice, hippocras, bread and sweet wine were all served, only then did the torch lit procession make its way out of the chapel for the little prince to be reunited with his mother and father, but of course since the Queen had made the decision to attend her step-sons christening it was her that had to lead the procession back to the Princess Consorts apartments, and Mary had no doubt that her brother and Anne would not be pleased by such a fact.

Whether intentionally or not, Katherine had drawn eyes to herself on a day that was meant to be solely about Anne's son and the celebration of his birth. Neither Henry nor Anne would forgive her quickly for such a slight.

* * *

 **A/N: So there it was, Chapter 6, I hope you all enjoyed it, for it was quite an important chapter.**

 **Firstly we had Anne (and the baby) surviving the sweat. I hope no one thought she was ever in any danger of dying, the purpose of my AU's tends to be giving Anne (and most of the wives if I can manage it, a happier ending). We also saw reactions from Henry and Katherine in relation to her survival.**

 **Sadly however the sweat was not as kind to everyone, and as we learnt Bessie Blount died of the sweat. In the T.V show it was little Henry Fitzroy who caught the sweat and died but in reality the King's illegitimate son died in his late teens, and so I have decided to stick with history and keep him alive although unforuntatly for poor Bessie Blount I did decide to end her life prematurely, the importance of this will become evident in later chapters I promise.**

 **Now in this chapter we also got an introduction to Thomas Cromwell and the reformation, this was just a taste of whats to come in regards to both the character and the issue of the reformation. Which is a difficult one to incorporate in this story given the Pope allowed for Henry to marry Anne. However Anne is still a reformist who believes there is corruption in the church she is (as she was in history) a Catholic at heart but there is much about the church that she and other disagree with. This will be important...so watch this space.**

 **It is also important now that Anne has birthed a healthy son; Prince John. He bought with him much happiness for Anne and Henry but he also made Henry begin to question whether or not the Popes refusal to grant his annulment to Katherine is something he can live with, given his beliefs that his marriage to Anne has been blessed by God.**

 **We also saw Katherine's reaction to little John's birth and the Duchess of Suffolk's. In my original outline of this story Isobel did not exist and John was Anne and Henry's first born child but as you all know I decided to have Anne birth a daughter first (thus the creation of Isobel) from here on out Anne and Henry's children will be exactly as I originally planned them to be, it is all planned out and will not change (so don't be asking me to give her a son or a daughter the next time** **she's pregnant ha...I already know what she's having). The only thing I will tell you all is that Elizabeth will be born on her historical birthdate, this is the case for all my stories and will not change. As such she will be one of Anne and Henry's younger children in this story.**

 **Thank you all again for your continued support, please review to let me know your thoughts on the chapter.**


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